The Greatest Showman #1270 - Dazzled

Robert Iger?

Damien Chazelle's mind was a whirl of question marks. The name was familiar, but he couldn't place it immediately. After a brief moment of reflection, he realized that he recognized it, but none of his close friends fit the profile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the puzzled expression on Justin Hurwitz's face. Damien quickly covered the handset of his phone with his left hand and mouthed, "Robert Iger?"

Justin nearly choked on his beer, coughing violently. He struggled to catch his breath and could only manage a few gasps before he finally muttered, "Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse."

Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney, was the man behind Disney's dominance in the North American film market. He was undeniably one of the most influential figures in Hollywood today.

Damien blinked, his eyes widening. "...Cough." He was about to speak, but instead, he was choked by his own saliva, nearly knocking the table over. He wiped his hand on his pants in embarrassment, then forced out, "Mr. Iger, um... good afternoon. Yes, I mean, nice to meet you."

He shut his eyes, mentally berating himself for his stupidity.

In just three weeks, Damien had met and dined with several top industry figures, laughing and conversing with them. But all those occasions had been under the supervision of Andy Rogers and the Creative Artists Agency. He had never been the focal point of any of those meetings—just a small player in the background.

But now, Robert Iger himself was on the phone. This was a whole new level. Damien needed a moment to process, but there was no time for a breather—the call was ongoing, and the pressure was mounting.

Meanwhile, Justin, still coughing, scrambled to leave to avoid disrupting Damien's call. In his haste, his ankle caught the stool, and with a loud thud, he disappeared from the table in a comical "disappearing act," which was far too funny.

Damien steadied himself, trying to focus. On the other end of the phone, Robert Iger's calm and friendly voice took the lead. Damien could barely keep up with the conversation, nodding mechanically, only chiming in with a few words here and there. The call lasted less than three minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Justin finally recovered from his coughing fit and climbed back into his chair. He could hardly contain his excitement and wasted no time asking, "How did it go? What did he say?"

Damien, still in a daze, shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing."

Justin stared at him, confused. "What do you mean, 'nothing'?"

Damien exhaled deeply. "It's literally nothing. He just called to say hello. They were in a meeting, and the project came up. They wanted to know more about it, so he called me."

The call wasn't as personal as Damien had expected—it was a business call, a result of Disney's production meeting.

"He wants to see the full script, preferably with a brief description of its source of inspiration and its core ideas," Damien continued. "He also asked about the casting—whether Renly was involved, and if so, which role he'd play."

Justin's eyes widened. "And how did you respond?"

Damien sighed. "I told him Renly wasn't planning on acting right now. He needs some time to rest."

"What?" Justin blurted out, his voice full of disbelief. He slapped his forehead in frustration. "Man, how could you just give everything away like that? Hollywood would kill to work with Renly! And you just told them he's not interested?"

The more he spoke, the more agitated Justin became. "Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Paramount, Fox Searchlight, and now Disney—five of the six major studios are already vying for this! And you're just... telling them everything? Seriously?"

Damien rubbed his forehead, looking slightly frustrated but calm. "Even if I lied, they'd find out the truth soon enough."

He had come to realize that there was a misunderstanding among the major Hollywood studios: they thought Renly was just a producer on Boom Drummer, not understanding that he was also an integral part of the project's creative vision. Damien couldn't help but get lost in his own thoughts, imagining Renly playing the role of Andrew, framing shots, capturing performances, and delivering a powerful portrayal. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

Justin, seeing the genuine enthusiasm on Damien's face, could only shake his head and sigh. "I can't blame them; even I can't stop thinking about it. Imagine working with Renly. It would be incredible."

Both of them fell silent, deep in thought, before Justin sat up straight, eager to move forward. "So, do you have an idea now? Which company do you think you'll go with? Before, there was no choice, but now… it's overwhelming."

From having no options at all, now there were too many, each one more tempting than the last. Not only the independent film companies, but all the major studios except Universal had already reached out, including Fox Searchlight. The decision had never been this complicated.

Damien leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms. "I don't know. Each company sounds genuine, but I know they're not here for me or for Boom Drummer... If it were just about the project, it wouldn't have been ignored for so long. They're all here because of Renly. So, I think it's best to leave the decision to him."

"Are you sure?" Justin asked, a little hesitant. "What if Renly chooses a company based on business interests? Or worse, what if he interferes with your vision? Rumor has it he's a sharp, no-nonsense guy—remember how he clashed with Tony Kaye?"

Damien shook his head firmly. "I don't think Renly is like that."

He couldn't fully explain it, but after meeting Renly for just one night, Damien felt a connection. There was something different about him—somehow distant yet familiar, and above all, Damien felt comfortable placing his trust in him.

"If anything, even if Renly does get involved, I'd have nothing to say," Damien continued. "We knew from the start that we were taking a risk, aiming for the Oscars. If we don't try, we'll never know. And even if Renly wasn't part of it, the risks are still the same."

Justin paused, considering this. Finally, he sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, meeting Renly... that was the best thing to happen to us."

Damien smiled faintly. "I think that night might have been the luckiest of my life."

And in the end, Damien's luck was far from over.