Chapter 206: Coming-of-Age Story

[Chapter 206: Coming-of-Age Story ]

The sixth film project was Matt Damon's screenplay, Good Will Hunting, which he wrote during his time in college. The script, created in 1992, was originally a class assignment at Harvard, titled The Coming-of-Age Story of a Young Genius, Will Hunting. Ben Affleck had provided some input, transforming it into an official movie script.

The previous year, when they arrived in Hollywood, they had been like so many others, sending out scripts. It didn't take long for the producers at Castle Rock Entertainment, led by Patrick Whitesell, to notice it and buy the film rights for $150,000.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were eager to work with Castle Rock, but they had one condition: they wanted to star in the film and have a say in the production. Castle Rock was hesitant to cast two unknowns as leads and didn't want them meddling in the production process.

In an effort to dissuade them from their demands, the Castle Rock team claimed the script had issues and asked them to revise it. Over the course of several months, Matt and Ben went back and forth making revisions -- over thirty drafts -- and yet Castle Rock was still not satisfied. When they inquired about specific feedback, the studio had none.

Suspecting that Castle Rock hadn't even read the script, they decided to test this theory. They inserted a scene in which the main character was caught playing with glue in the office. Castle Rock received the revised script and still didn't raise any objections.

Frustrated, Matt and Ben abandoned the idea of working with Castle Rock. After completing Se7en, the duo took the script to Guess Pictures, hoping the studio would invest in the film.

After reading the script, Link asked them to delete the gluing scenes and then consider investing.

They lit up but quickly brought up their desire to land the lead roles and be involved in the production. Link didn't object; he agreed to let Matt take the lead role, with Ben as the supporting character. This was somewhat of a consolation for them, given that Matt hadn't been cast as the lead in Se7en. He also agreed to produce the film with them.

Good Will Hunting became the sixth film project for Guess Pictures that year. 

---

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in!"

The office door swung open, and Sofia Coppola and Milla Jovovich entered, both carrying shopping bags and radiating a sense of the sunny afternoon they had just spent shopping.

"Link, what are you up to?" Sofia called out.

"Just reviewing some materials. Did you guys just return from shopping?" he asked.

"We're not like you, working all day and night. How dull!" Sofia joked, handing her shopping bags to Milla before flopping down on his desk.

"Nice legs," Link commented with a chuckle, admiring her shorts.

Sofia propped her leg up a little, teasing him with a proximity so the distance was barely a foot away. "Yesterday you mentioned working on a film adaptation of that story from Interstellar. Which one are you thinking about?"

"This!" Link said, pulling a script from a back shelf. It was titled The Man from Earth, adapted from a novel. The story revolved around John Oldman, a 35-year-old history professor at Harvard, who, after ten years of work, decided to resign. His colleagues, including historians, translators, biologists, and psychologists, gathered to see him off, hoping to persuade him to stay.

In the midst of their farewell, John shockingly revealed that he was a Cro-Magnon man who had lived for 14,000 years, leaving the scientists doubtful and divided. They engaged in a scholarly debate, and curious as they were, they soon found themselves convinced by John's remarkable claim.

"You want to make a movie out of this?" Sofia inquired.

"I do," Link responded.

"Why not adapt Interstellar, The Martian, or Gravity? Those stories would translate better into film."

"This project requires a smaller investment and is easier to shoot. The others involve a lot of special effects and higher costs. Plus, the current CGI technology still isn't up to par, and I don't want to ruin those franchises," he explained.

"That makes sense. When will you shoot this?"

"I still have two big projects on my plate, so I don't have time right now. Would you be interested in directing this one?"

"Me?" she asked, glancing through the script and chuckling. "You aren't worried I'll mess it up?"

"I believe in you," Link assured her. Sofia had worked with him on three films -- The Blair Witch Project, Final Destination, and Se7en -- where she had done a significant amount of the directing.

Now, she'd gained enough experience to take on the role, especially since this film's budget was low. The production would only require a single location with a fireplace, eight actors, and no special effects, voiceovers, or a plethora of props. The main action centered around the characters sitting around debating.

The budget would only be around $20,000. If somehting went wrong, they could just reshoot it a few times. The reason Link wasn't directing himself was that the content was relatively dull, with deep, complicated dialogues that might not resonate well with a theater audience -- and thus wouldn't rake in box office returns.

The original story was never even shown in theaters, released instead as a home video that grossed over $350 million worldwide.

"Thank you, Link!" Sofia exclaimed, excitedly hugging him and giving him a kiss.

Milla who was sipping coffee on the couch, at the sight of their affectionate moment, her cheeks flushed, and walked over and quietly closed the door.

...

Before Sofia and Milla arrived, Link intended to work late in the office. However, Sofia mentioned that they had picked up a few sexy outfits while shopping and asked if he wanted to see them.

Link couldn't refuse and joined the two for a vibrant night out.

As he sat in his car leaving Sofia's apartment, gazing out at the vibrant city life, he couldn't help but reminisce about the warmth of Lily, Sofia and Milla Jovovich's Italian and Ukrainian flavors, and Monica and Jennifer's home cooking.

He realized that after gaining fame and fortune, the temptations multiplied, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the same noble ideals he once held.

After a brief detour in thought, Link returned to the office to handle his work.

*****

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