Chapter 65: Hollywood's Eye

"As anyone can see from the trailers and promotional posters for The Rock, John Mason is a former British agent." Facing the Fox Television cameras, Sean Connery displayed his usual gentlemanly demeanor. "Warner Brothers and director Duke Rosenberg both extended invitations to me, and I was very interested in the role. We had already entered substantive negotiations, but Duke Rosenberg changed his mind and cast an obscure older actor instead. I find it deeply regrettable."

"Were you highly interested in the role?" the reporter asked, playing along.

"Yes, I was very interested," Sean Connery admitted openly. "Everyone knows what my first famous role was. I had no reason to turn it down, and I believe fans would love to see me play a character like this..."

Connery's words constantly invited the audience and media to compare this John Mason to himself. Throughout the interview, he repeatedly tugged at his suit collar—James Bond's signature gesture—clearly telling everyone that he was the retired British agent.

The broadcast then cut back to the studio, where the show's host offered some timely commentary.

"Given John Mason's character profile, no older actor in Hollywood is more suited for the part than Sean Connery. Sean was also highly interested in the role. It's hard to understand why young director Rosenberg rejected him in favor of an unknown like Christopher Lee. Does he really think Lee can compare to Sean Connery?"

Some things didn't need to be stated outright. Guiding public opinion was relatively easy for today's media, let alone a major nationwide broadcaster like Fox Television.

Turning off the TV, Sofia walked back, sat down, and looked at Duke.

"The day is finally here," she said, looking quite relaxed.

"Nothing ever sails smoothly. This is Hollywood, and the competition is fierce."

Just as he spoke, Duke's mobile phone rang. The caller was Warner's Jeff Robinov. Duke answered, listened for a moment, and said, "Yes, I saw it. I'll cooperate with Warner's promotional plan!"

Starting the next day, numerous media outlets began hyping the news that Duke had rejected Sean Connery. The media lived for chaos; they didn't care if there was an inside story. As long as it attracted eyeballs, they would gladly watch the world erupt into nuclear war.

"The young Duke Rosenberg made a mistake, rejecting the best former British agent."

"What reason did Duke have to refuse Sean? This will cause audiences to miss out on the greatest British agent."

"Who is Christopher Lee? Who has even heard of him? Can he compare to Sean Connery?"

The commentary from standard media outlets was relatively restrained, but unsurprisingly, various exaggerated reports surfaced in the News Group tabloids.

"This is terribly unfair to poor Christopher Lee. The film hasn't even been released—only trailers and poster synopses are out—yet he's already being compared to Hollywood's finest veteran actor. The John Mason of The Rock is bound to be a failure."

"The New York Post randomly interviewed 100 moviegoers; 97 did not know who Christopher Lee was and expressed pessimism about his portrayal of the agent..."

These tabloids were determined to compare Sean Connery and Christopher Lee. Hollywood insiders could tell this involved competition and other hidden factors, but no one could say much. It was a standard industry tactic. Moreover, Sean Connery completely crushed Christopher Lee in terms of star power—nobody could deny that.

"Why didn't Duke cast Sean Connery?"

Sitting in a burger joint, Jones looked at Allen in confusion. "I haven't watched many of Sean Connery's movies, and I'm not familiar with the older generation of actors, but the original 007 has to be more suitable than... whatever his name is, right?"

"It doesn't matter..." Allen shrugged, completely indifferent. "Is it really important who plays the role? We watch Duke's movies for the action scenes and explosions. Besides, Sean Connery isn't an actor from our era anyway. In my eyes, he's just a washed-up old movie star. 007? How many years ago was that?"

Kunitz, who was just coming back with a cola, overheard Allen and chimed in, "Sean Connery doesn't belong to our era. Who cares who he is!"

Every generation had its favorite movie stars. Having sunk into obscurity after stepping down from 007, only to slightly resurge in the mid-to-late 1980s, Sean Connery was clearly not among the beloved stars for the audience born in the late sixties and early seventies, who currently dominated the mainstream movie market.

Having experienced an era with a highly developed internet, Duke knew perfectly well that the teenage audience—who occupied the largest share of the theatrical market—wouldn't buy into an old movie star too heavily. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked casting Christopher Lee. Besides, Warner had drawn up the relevant promotional plans long ago.

Over at Duke Studio in North Hollywood, Duke saw Christopher Lee and his agent out, then returned to the office. Only he and Charles Roven were left.

Some things were only fit for two people to discuss. If a third person were present, it could become a vulnerability should conflicts arise with Warner down the line.

Right now, Duke neither liked nor hated Sean Connery. Entering this circle meant personal preferences had to take a back seat. He adhered to only one principle: those who shared common interests were temporary friends, and those who infringed on his interests were enemies.

Just as he had thought before, he absolutely could not judge current collaborative relationships based on past likes or dislikes of certain movie characters.

However, his current strength and capital were extremely limited. He could only cling to and leverage the massive support of his current partner, Warner Brothers.

"Charles..." Duke said after sitting down, looking at the line producer. "Is there any concrete progress on the fire investigation?"

"No, everything looks as though it was caused by an accident and poor management," Charles Roven said rather helplessly. "Fires like this happen in Hollywood every year, and it isn't the first time for Warner Studios either. The fire during Batman still hasn't reached a convincing conclusion to this day, and it's the same this time around. The Los Angeles Police are about to close the case."

He shook his head. "Currently, there is no evidence to suggest it was arson. Warner is furious, but they can't find a target to vent on right now. We can't just open fire on the entirety of CAA."

"Charles, remember what you told me? Some things don't need evidence!"

Previously, Duke had to focus all his energy on post-production, so the fire had been pushed aside. Now that post-production was in its final stages, he didn't care whether the fire was man-made or not. It had touched his interests, and it was obvious that certain people stood to gain from it. Therefore, he framed them outright. "I don't know what Warner's higher-ups are thinking, but this isn't a tactic within the rules, and it severely violates the industry's bottom line. If certain people aren't taught a lesson, the first time will lead to a second!"

Did it matter whether it was arson or not? Smearing certain people aligned with Warner's interests too, as it would be highly beneficial for the film's promotion.

"Does Warner want to suffer a second loss? That fire burned up not just our $870,000, but Warner's reputation and dignity! Are we going to sit by and watch the people who damaged our interests continue to gloat?" He wasn't going to pretend to be magnanimous. If someone slapped him, he would definitely kick them back twice as hard as soon as he found the chance.

"What do you have in mind?" Charles Roven asked.

"Have you ever heard of "Hollywood's Eye", Charles?"

Half an hour later, Duke saw Charles Roven out of his office. The man had never given a direct answer. Everything had to wait for Warner to weigh the options and make a decision. This was not a minor matter; no one would agree to it easily, nor would they leave any leverage for others to use against them.

Hollywood had plenty of shady dealings. Much like Duke and Charles Roven right now, people would only form the intent in their hearts without leaving behind leverage. Once they stepped out of the office, neither would admit to anything they had just discussed.

The media was still hyping the news about Sean Connery. Duke and Warner still offered no direct response, waiting for the story to thoroughly ferment. CAA clearly hadn't valued or carefully investigated a small fry like Christopher Lee, unaware that small fries often had extraordinary pasts.

...

Wearing dark sunglasses, Anthony Pellicano entered the old coffee shop in Venice Town. He took a casual look around, walked up to a table, and sat down opposite a Latino man.

This was a man with ordinary features and a common build, someone who would blend right into a crowd. But with his sharp instincts honed by his profession, Pellicano could vaguely guess that the man was likely a private investigator or a fixer for a large corporation. However, having become a prominent figure in Hollywood and earning the title of "Hollywood's Eye," he naturally wasn't foolish enough to ask questions.

The two hardly spoke. A thick leather bag and an entertainment newspaper were all Pellicano received. In truth, there was no need to say much. After the man left, his gaze naturally fell on the newspaper.

The front page featured a gray-haired old man. Even printed on paper, one could feel the gentlemanly aura radiating from him.

'So this is my target! Seems a bit difficult, doesn't it?'

Although the thought briefly crossed his mind, Pellicano chuckled after hefting the leather bag in his hands.

He dared to investigate superstars like Elizabeth Taylor and Sylvester Stallone, and he even dared to wiretap the private phone calls of Tom Cruise and Scientology. Why wouldn't he investigate a washed-up figure like this?

As for who hired him, Pellicano didn't care at all. The people who wanted to investigate these stars were either competitors or rival companies; it was all too common in Hollywood. His principle was simply to take the money and do the job. Past targets could become future employers, and current employers could become future targets...

Picking up the newspaper bearing Sean Connery's feature, Pellicano walked out of the coffee shop.