Chapter 213: The Cast
[Chapter 213: The Cast]
The film had a production budget of $8 million and recouped its costs in the first week, which was quite impressive.
However, Quentin was feeling disappointed. Given the film's successful premiere, he had anticipated that Pulp Fiction would gross over $30 million in its opening week, and that it would surpass $100 million in North America within three weeks. Instead, it only brought in $9.33 million.
The discrepancy was too great.
Nevertheless, the film received excellent reviews; nearly all the media outlets praised it, giving it an aggregate score of 92. Many critics showered Quentin with accolades, hailing him as one of the best directors of his generation and predicting a bright future for his filmmaking career.
Notably, prominent critic Sean Soph praised Quentin while deriding Link, stating that all of Link's films combined were inferior to Pulp Fiction and arguing that the film industry needed more works like Pulp Fiction rather than Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project.
As he saw everyone lauding Pulp Fiction while criticizing Link's films, Quentin began to feel a bit better, engaging in banter with Link about how the audience seemed to have terrible taste, opting to watch only bad movies.
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Link didn't dispute him; he was currently busy preparing for his new film, The Butterfly Effect, which had just finished casting. The star-studded lineup included Leonardo DiCaprio, Renee Zellweger, Mark Wahlberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, among others.
The Butterfly Effect followed Evan as he stumbled upon his old journal while in college. It stirred memories of a series of unfortunate events from his youth, which derailed his once-perfect life.
In an attempt to make his life flawless and free of regrets, he used the journal to travel back in time to pivotal moments, hoping to change the course of events.
Unfortunately, every time he altered something in the past, he returned to reality only to discover that his changes yielded unforeseen consequences, often putting his loved ones in harm's way.
After several futile attempts to rectify his life, Evan's mental state began to unravel, ultimately leading him to a tragic decision to return to the moment of his conception, using the umbilical cord to end his life.
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Once the casting was complete, Link gathered the primary cast to study the script and delve into their characters.
After a few sessions, Link assigned each of the four leads the task of writing character backstories to clarify the narrative threads and their character experiences. Understanding these details would enable them to better inhabit their roles during shooting.
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While preparing The Butterfly Effect, Tim Robbins visited the office, accompanied by Frank Darabont, the director and writer of The Shawshank Redemption, and producer Liz Glotzer.
They wanted to gauge Link's interest in taking on The Shawshank Redemption project.
Adapted from the works of renowned author Stephen King, Frank Darabont had purchased the rights to the novel for $5,000 and planned to turn it into a film.
After completing the script, he submitted it to Castle Rock Entertainment, where producer Liz Glotzer recognized its potential and advocated for the film's production.
However, after reading the script, Castle Rock's owner, Rob Reiner, a well-known Hollywood director with classics like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., A Few Good Men, and Stand by Me to his credit, was intrigued enough to consider directing it personally, with Tom Cruise eyed for the male lead and Harry Connick Jr. cast as the second lead.
Ultimately, due to the high production costs, they shelved the project and returned it to Frank Darabont.
Initially, Castle Rock had planned to invest $25 million into the film, with funds already allocated, and the casting also completed, as actors awaited filming.
However, Castle Rock had performed poorly the previous year, producing 18 films, including mediocre titles like Amos & Andrew, Needful Things, and In the Line of Fire, all underwhelming at the box office.
Additionally, supernatural films had been trending, and Castle Rock followed suit by investing over $10 million in eight low-budget horror films.
By the time the films were released, they spent over $20 million on marketing alone. The results were disastrous at the box office.
Things worsened when Richard Gere and Robert Downey Jr. faced scandals, leading to the cancellation of two projects, causing losses for Only You, and First Knight.
Castle Rock lost $125 million last year, leading to a current financial deficit of $280 million, nearly equaling the company's market value.
If the financial situation continued to decline, they risked bankruptcy.
As a result, Castle Rock had to cut back on high-investment projects that didn't seem to generate revenue, including The Shawshank Redemption.
This was also why Tim Robbins had come to Link's company.
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Listening to Tim Robbins's pitch, Link thought to himself that this was exactly the real-life embodiment of the Butterfly Effect.
"Link, you should take a look at this script," Tim Robbins enthused. "It's about hope, freedom, friendship, and redemption; it's really compelling."
Link smiled, flipping through the script, realizing it was quite similar to the film he remembered, save for a few plot details.
Shooting with the original cast based on this script should bring the essence of the original to life.
When the original film premiered, it garnered critical acclaim, with ratings over 90% on major film sites, and was considered a cinematic gem, standing alongside Forrest Gump, Schindler's List, and Titanic.
However, its box office results were underwhelming; it took more than a decade to break even and suffered losses during the Oscars, competing with Forrest Gump for attention.
Making these kinds of films often didn't yield significant financial returns and occupied company funds.
The only upside was its classic status, which could enhance the reputation of Link's company.
After some thought, Link decided to take on the project, but with one condition: he wanted to serve as the producer and editor, allowing him to be deeply involved in the filmmaking process.
Upon hearing this, Frank Darabont let out a sigh of relief.
Link was a world-class director with exceptional filmmaking and editing skills; his willingness to take on a supervisory role indicated how much he valued the project, which was a positive signal for everyone involved.
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During their conversation, Link learned that producer Liz Glotzer had fallen out with Castle Rock over this film and had since resigned.
He extended an invitation for Liz to join his company, hoping she would continue to oversee the production of The Shawshank Redemption.
Liz possessed a wealth of experience, having produced several films, and Link needed skilled personnel for his company.
Liz accepted the offer with enthusiasm.
Link then called Danny DeVito, introducing him to the three and discussing the new film project, The Shawshank Redemption.
Thus, The Shawshank Redemption officially became a film under Link's company.
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In addition to The Shawshank Redemption, Link requested Danny and Liz review other projects that Castle Rock had dropped to assess their investment potential.
With financial backing, Link could afford to invest in a few more films annually, potentially increasing box office earnings.
By the time the media reported on the results the following year, Link's company's data would look significantly better.
A solid report could expand the company's rights portfolio, boost its market value, and enhance investor confidence in his company.
Liz agreed to the plan.
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