Chapter 41: A Candidate for Mason

Although Duke didn't feel great about it, he knew the original production's first choice for John Mason had been Arnold Schwarzenegger. They had only brought Connery in as a last-minute replacement when the future governor dropped out over scheduling conflicts. Still, the team had sent an invitation to CAA. Given the character's background as a former British agent, they couldn't find anyone better suited for the role than Sean Connery on such short notice. CAA replied after just three days, and the two sides arranged to meet at the Warner Building.

But Duke hadn't expected to see a familiar face when he and Charles Roven arrived at the reception room to represent the production.

"Duke, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."

The man walking over to shake his hand was CAA heavyweight Martin Bobb. Duke put on a polite, formal smile. "Martin. Good to see you."

As Charles Roven stepped up to shake the agent's hand, Duke figured it out. CAA employed a cross-management system for their A-list stars. A veteran, high-priority client like Sean Connery would definitely be in the hands of a top-tier agent like Martin Bobb.

For all he knew, Michael Ovitz himself was one of Connery's co-managers.

Taking his seat, Duke remained silent, perfectly content to let Charles Roven take the lead.

"I wonder if Mr. Connery..."

Martin Bobb cut Roven off before he could finish, underscoring just how overbearing CAA agents could be. "Sean is very interested in the role of Mason, and CAA is very interested in The Rock."

Hearing that, Roven stopped beating around the bush. "Tell me, Martin, what are your terms?"

"It's simple. CAA shares Warner Brothers' optimism about this film's profitability."

Holding the scarce resources the production team desperately needed, Martin Bobb brimmed with confidence. "Aside from keeping Duke as director, hand the production over to CAA for a package deal."

Without waiting for them to react, he turned to Duke. "And the previous demand still stands. Rewrite the character of Goodspeed to better fit Tom's image."

"Furthermore..." He held up a finger. "Sean demands to invest in the production. Ten million dollars."

Roven and Duke exchanged a glance. They both knew CAA had laid its cards on the table; now it was their turn to negotiate.

A CAA package deal, bringing Sean Connery and Tom Cruise into the cast, and letting Connery join the ranks of the investors—these terms would seem very tempting to Warner Brothers.

But these terms were extremely detrimental to Duke. A package deal meant the crew he had just assembled would be ousted. Even if he remained the director, the entire production would eventually be staffed by CAA personnel. Add two massive A-listers like Sean Connery and Tom Cruise to the mix, and his authority as director would be completely compromised if any conflicts arose.

Worse, Sean Connery wanted to bring in his own funding. That would inevitably dilute Duke's investment share and reduce his profit margin. On top of that, CAA would definitely take a commission for their package deal. They were trying to carve up his cake!

Anyone who touched his profits was an enemy.

Seeing Charles Roven still weighing the options, Duke didn't hesitate. "I'll say it again, Martin. I refuse."

The previously calm and collected Martin Bobb froze for a moment before recovering his composure. He had received insider information that Duke Rosenberg himself was the one who had proposed Sean Connery. Why was he now...

"Duke, this is Hollywood," he said slowly, an unmistakable pressure in his tone. "It's a place that respects seniority."

"You're right, it is Hollywood," Duke replied flatly. "And no one here is irreplaceable."

Charles Roven looked at Duke, then at Martin Bobb, and smartly chose to stay silent.

"A former British agent?" A hint of mockery crept into Martin Bobb's tone. "Out of every male actor in Hollywood combined, is there anyone more suited for the role than Sean?"

He shifted back to his oppressive tone. "You'll change the script? Rewrite Mason's character? You'd have to tear down and rebuild multiple aspects of the story! CAA will also leak to the press that Sean wanted the British agent role but you turned him down. Once the movie comes out, everyone will compare your character to Sean. And a failed character inevitably leads to a failed movie!"

It was practically a threat. Even if Duke changed the script, CAA had the power and media connections to blow the situation entirely out of proportion. As long as the film featured any kind of agent, audiences would naturally compare them to Sean Connery. Out of all the active male actors, who could avoid being completely overshadowed by him? For a moment, Duke really couldn't think of anyone.

Actors of Sean Connery's archetype were undeniably a scarce resource in Hollywood, even if his acting skills were mediocre at best. Duke had to admit that much.

The reason CAA could be so domineering with Hollywood production companies in the late 1980s and early 90s was precisely because they hoarded these rare resources—resources that often guaranteed box office success. Though their package deals would eventually be relegated to the independent film circuit, this was currently their absolute peak of power.

'Should I bow my head here and share my profits with others?' Duke pondered. 'Or refuse them and recast the role?'

Now it wasn't just a problem with Sean Connery and CAA; Tom Cruise was clearly interested as well. Given CAA's strategy for their A-list clients, they would definitely find a way to satisfy his demands. Accepting a CAA package deal would inevitably mean altering the protagonist Stanley Goodspeed's character.

An FBI chemical weapons expert whose main traits were playing it cool and looking pretty?

At that thought, Duke curled his lip, all hesitation gone.

"Martin, we need time to consider this."

Before Duke could say anything, Charles Roven took the lead. "We will get back to you as soon as possible."

After seeing Martin Bobb out, Duke and Roven went straight to Jeff Robinov's office. The other executives in charge of the project soon joined them. Once Charles Roven detailed Bobb's terms, a brief silence fell over the room.

Duke took all of this in. Even if he was willing to compromise on other fronts, he would never surrender his rightful profits.

"Yes, Sean Connery was the candidate I proposed." Duke stood up, using his height to lend weight to his words. "But that doesn't mean he's irreplaceable. CAA is demanding that we rewrite a role for Tom Cruise, which would render a lot of our pre-production prep work useless."

Duke knew exactly what angle to take to persuade Warner Brothers. "Warner was willing to invest in The Rock because you believe in its profitability. If I remember correctly, a CAA package deal extracts an extra ten percent of the film's gross profits."

"Gentlemen..." Duke's tone turned grave. "Are we really going to share the profits that rightfully belong to us with a pack of vampires?"

"Nobody wants to share with them," an executive vice president at Warner Brothers muttered.

It was true. CAA was powerful, but they were absolutely despised in Hollywood. Their package deals not only drove movie budgets to unprecedented heights, but also encroached on backend profit distributions—a territory talent agencies had never breached before. In the eyes of every film studio, they were literal vampires.

Some studio giants even complained that the endless ballooning of Hollywood production costs was entirely CAA's doing.

Knowing he lacked sufficient clout on his own, Duke relied on the simplest logic: profit. Warner Brothers possessed a mature production system. Since they hadn't planned to rely on CAA from the start, they clearly had confidence in their own capabilities. CAA trying to force their way in naturally triggered serious pushback.

If Hollywood was willing to accept CAA's package deals right now, it was only because those deals brought in money. But the reason CAA's package deals would face a total collapse in future commercial blockbusters was because their insatiable greed ended up carving away too much of the studios' bottom lines.

The Warner Brothers executives clearly agreed with his words. Several of them sat in their chairs, nodding slightly.

"Charles."

Sitting behind his desk as the head of the project, Jeff Robinov spoke directly to Roven. "Send a letter tomorrow rejecting CAA."

"What about the candidate for John Mason?"

One executive still had some reservations. "Are we going to change the script?"

"Are there really no other suitable actors?" the executive vice president who had spoken earlier asked. "We can scout for other male actors over sixty who aren't represented by CAA."

"Roger Moore..." Charles Roven chimed in. "Or one of the other retired 007 actors?"

"007?"

Hearing Roven's suggestion, Duke began mentally filtering through every James Bond film he had ever seen and the actors who had starred in them.

"Changing the script isn't a wise choice," Jeff Robinov continued. "Let's hold a widespread casting call for the role. If CAA wants to use this character to start a war, let them come. Do you think the Time Warner Group is afraid of them?"

Now that the decision was made, Jeff Robinov had plenty of confidence to spare. Warner Brothers wasn't some indie production company; they had the massive Time Warner Group backing them up.

Duke hadn't made it very far out of Jeff Robinov's office before Charles Roven quickly caught up to him.

"As a line producer," he said, clearly referring to their meeting with Martin Bobb, "I have to be cautious with every decision I make."

"I understand." Duke nodded.

He wasn't the sort of person who enjoyed bickering anyway, so he wasn't going to hold onto such a minor grievance. Falling out with Warner Brothers' line producer wouldn't do him any favors.

"You look like you're deep in thought." Roven walked alongside him. "Did you think of a suitable replacement for Sean Connery?"

"Yeah..."

Duke nodded. After filtering through the 007 movies, a specific person had indeed come to mind. "Roven, have you ever seen The Man with the Golden Gun?"

"You mean..."

"Exactly. The Man with the Golden Gun. If I remember correctly, that actor was a genuine former British agent, not a fake one like Sean Connery."

He looked at the line producer. "Roven, I need you to take a trip to London."

"No need." Roven shook his head, clearly realizing exactly who Duke meant. "He moved to America a long time ago."

"Great. Send a casting invitation to his agent, then."

Sean Connery had only played a British agent on screen. But according to Duke's memory, the future Count Dooku and Saruman hadn't just fought on the battlefields of World War II—he had been an actual British agent who had killed people. His acting chops were in no way inferior to Connery, who wasn't exactly known as a powerhouse actor anyway. Plus, his salary would only be about a tenth as much.