I am Hollywood

Chapter 286: Chapter 287: This Is Just Too Much

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[Chapter 287: This Is Just Too Much]

Gotten a reminder from the waiter, Eric finally stood up, only to find that it wasn't just Murdoch who had arrived, but also Elisabeth, who was linked arm-in-arm with her father. The look she gave him carried a slight reproach, clearly indicating she was aware that Eric had chosen this place for their meeting to make her father uncomfortable.

Given that she was a woman with whom he had a close relationship, Elisabeth's light scold coupled with her annoyance left Eric feeling a bit awkward.

After Eric had weathered the recent crisis due to the Friends lawsuit and the productions of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and The X-Files, Murdoch had requested multiple meetings to discuss matters with him. After some consideration, Eric decided to agree but refused the suggestion to meet at the Murdoch family's estate. Instead, he picked a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in a busy downtown area. To make his point, he even had the paparazzi notified. As long as news broke that Murdoch had proactively reached out to him, not only would the media perceive Fox as capitulating to Eric, but other major film companies would definitely start thinking poorly of Fox, viewing it as a traitor to the Big Seven.

However, Murdoch clearly wasn't the type to be outsmarted easily. He not only brought along his somewhat contentious daughter but acted all frail and helpless, leaning on her as if he truly needed support. It was likely that with some embellishment from the media, Eric would be painted as the petty young man who required an elderly man to come begging for mercy.

Feeling a mix of annoyance, Eric thought about splashing a cup of coffee over Murdoch's head for laying it on so thick. The old man wasn't even sixty yet! As someone who had lived through the future, Eric distinctly remembered that in his previous life, Murdoch had been spry and vigorous well into his eighties.

Noticing Eric's expression, Murdoch wore an enigmatic smile as he approached Eric and extended his hand, saying, "Eric, good to see you again."

"Hello, Mr. Murdoch," Eric replied, shaking his hand, then turned his attention to Elisabeth. She rolled her eyes at him but showed no intention of greeting him.

"Liz, don't be so rude," Murdoch scolded her, feigning the role of a stern father, although he secretly enjoyed the sight of Eric being put in a difficult position in front of his daughter.

Elisabeth shot a displeased look at her father. Though she resented Eric for choosing this meeting spot, she didn't fully agree with her father's behavior either. With a huff, she ignored the two men, sat down at the table, and began to peruse the menu.

Both Murdoch and Eric exchanged awkward glances.

"Mr. Murdoch, why don't we sit?" Eric finally broke the silence.

...

Murdoch nodded and took a seat. The three of them ordered their food, and after a brief moment of silence, Murdoch decided to bring up a topic: "Liz, how's the movie you're working on coming along?"

Elisabeth had initially been folding the napkin in front of her, determined to stay quiet, but since her father directed the question at her, she replied in a soft voice, "It's ready to go; we start filming at the end of the month."

"Oh," Murdoch nodded. "I heard the lead actress is, what's her name... Jodie Foster? I've heard she's quite talented. It sounds like it'll be an exciting film."

Elisabeth glanced at Eric before saying, "Yes, someone recommended Jodie Foster for the lead role. After the audition, I thought she was great, so I signed her on."

Seeing his daughter glance back at Eric, Murdoch smiled knowingly and directed his gaze at Eric. "Why not let Firefly Films handle the distribution of the movie?"

Eric raised an eyebrow. Before he could respond, Elisabeth shot a glare at her father. "Dad!" Eric quickly added, "Mr. Murdoch, Firefly's distribution isn't a problem, but our overseas channels aren't well established yet. It could limit the film's box office performance." Although Eric was trying to convey a sincere opinion, Murdoch took his words as a sign that Eric doubted the film's potential. He was aware of Firefly's limited distribution capacity and assumed Eric didn't want to invest their limited resources in a project he didn't believe would succeed.

In reality, Murdoch had read the script for his daughter's film, titled The Silence of the Lambs. After all, Elisabeth had invested nearly 20 million in this movie. Except for the 6 million contributed by Julia and Drew, all other investments were "borrowed" by Elisabeth from her father. Despite being domineering in other respects, Murdoch had always been willing to support his children financially. He happily provided the investment for Elisabeth's foray into film production, viewing it as a way to nurture her skills, with profitability being an afterthought.

Furthermore, while Murdoch didn't know much about films, he recognized that the script was a rated R horror film, a genre known for its difficulty in attracting high box office numbers or awards. This was why he suggested letting Eric's Firefly handle its distribution. His intention, however, lay in wanting to set the stage for Eric and Elisabeth to spend more time together. Having successfully navigated his own crisis, Eric was bound to achieve great success in the media industry. Murdoch believed that if this man could become his daughter's husband, it would be greatly beneficial for their family company. Plus, Murdoch had deduced that Elisabeth bore real feelings for Eric, especially after a recent argument she'd had with him during Eric's difficult time. Given this foundation, it made sense to encourage more interaction.

With this in mind, Murdoch smiled at Eric. "Eric, it's just a horror film. New Line has always focused on horror film distribution, so I believe Firefly can handle it well. If the need arises for overseas distribution down the line, Fox will definitely cooperate."

With such "good intentions" coming from Murdoch, Eric found it hard to refuse. He turned to Elisabeth, only to see her sulking, fiddling with a napkin and tearing it into shreds.

"Liz, what's your take?" Eric asked tentatively.

Elisabeth pouted, "You guys can decide."

"Then it's settled," Murdoch declared like a parent, cutting off any further discussion.

With Murdoch's assertion, Elisabeth made no objections, and Eric nodded in agreement.

...

At that moment, the waiter started serving their dishes, leading to a brief pause in their conversation. Once the waiter poured red wine into their glasses and Murdoch took a sip, praising it, he casually turned to Eric and asked, "Eric, you were born in 1970 in London,

right?"

Here comes the juicy part.

Eric thought to himself while feigning nostalgia. "Yes, I was born in London, but I moved to the States when I was eight, so I don't really remember much about London."

"You should return one day," Murdoch sighed. "I remember over thirty years ago when Liz's grandfather passed away from heart disease. I had to drop out of school to take over the family business, and I wasn't much older than you at the time.

Back then, Sydney's newspaper industry was controlled by three major families. When they saw that my paper, the Sunday Times, and the Evening News were thriving, they set their sights on acquiring them. After I repeatedly turned them down, they resorted to all sorts of tactics.

In just one year, my media company faced more backlash and lawsuits than in many previous years combined, even receiving death threats. But I didn't back down. I invested twenty years to not only build my company into the largest media group in Sydney but also end up acquiring the companies of those once enemies."

Although Murdoch noticed Eric maintaining an air of indifference, he knew Eric was listening. He continued, "So, Eric, what you've been through recently is just part of the game. I believe you should look ahead and not dwell on the past."

Eric managed a smile as he looked up. "I am looking ahead, Mr. Murdoch. If not, we wouldn't

be sitting here so calmly today."

"Then," Murdoch cautiously ventured, "how about dropping the lawsuit over Friends? And as for The X-Files, there's no need to rush, but for Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which is set to premiere in March... it's already the end of February, and the entire team hasn't made a move. Eric, I think you should prioritize this. A month of promotion following the Oscars would certainly be an excellent opportunity to launch the program."

"I think so too," Eric said, swallowing his food, wiping his mouth with his napkin, then fixing his gaze on Murdoch. "However, Mr. Murdoch, you just mentioned that after becoming the leading newspaper mogul in Australia, you ended up acquiring your previous enemies... Now regarding this situation, what happens? Firefly has released five films by the end of the year, and because of this upheaval, the combined box office loss will likely exceed a hundred million. Firefly's losses will be no less than thirty million, and I still have no idea who my

enemies are."

*****

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