America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In Long Island City, New York, tucked away on a quiet street, was Chuck Hogan's small office suite in a modest office building.

The role of the office assistant was also taken by Chuck Hogan's current girlfriend.

Many writers and playwrights in their hibernation phase were not well-off financially.

Chuck Hogan came in the morning, turned on his computer to write his weekly column for "The New Yorker," but after three hours he had written less than three sentences.

He was too restless to write.

He called out to the other room, "Eliza, has there been no call from Martin Davis?"

The suite door opened from the outside and an ordinary-looking girl came in with coffee, reassuring him, "Honey, you've been too anxious these past few days. You've sent novels to Hollywood many times before, to Paramount, Warner Bros., and Weinstein Films, but there has been no news for years."

Chuck Hogan drank a sip of the hot coffee, which calmed him somewhat, "This time it's different. Graham highly recommended it to Martin Davis, and Martin is taking it seriously..."

Eliza continued to comfort him, "Martin is filming in New York. According to news reports, he seems to have some mental issues, so it won't be that fast."

Chuck Hogan admitted, "I'm too anxious."

Just then, the phone rang, and Eliza hurried to answer it, "Hello, this is Chuck Hogan's studio, who is this? Martin Davis, yes, he is available this morning; you can come over anytime."

After she hung up, Chuck asked, "Was it from Martin Davis?"

"Yes, it was from Martin Davis," Eliza answered directly, "Martin wants to visit and discuss with you about adapting 'The Prince of Thieves.' He's on his way from the Brooklyn Studio."

Chuck swung his fist with enthusiasm: "That's great, I've finally made it to this day!" He instructed Eliza, "Hurry up, get the Blue Mountain coffee Graham sent me, and tidy up the studio."

Eliza got busy.

Chuck stood in front of the mirror, meticulously adjusting his attire.

Indeed, the person Graham King recommended was reliable; Martin Davis personally coming to discuss meant Chuck had to take it seriously.

Chuck knew very well that if he could take this first successful step, it would be like advertising his other works in Hollywood, ensuring there would be no worries about sales.

They finished preparing quickly because it wouldn't take Martin long to get there from Brooklyn.

…

Outside the office building, a Volvo SUV was parked at the curb, and the Affleck brothers, Ben and Casey, got out one after the other.

Ben looked up at the sign on the office building and asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"
Enjoy more content from empire

Casey glanced at the printed address he was holding and said, "No mistake, this is it. Those dummies at Weinstein Films noted down the address on the fly and missed the phone number."

Ben took out the novel Chuck Hogan had sent to Weinstein Films from the car: "Let's go up."

Casey followed behind and asked, "Is this book really suitable for adaptation? Are you sure you can do it?"

"Absolutely, the crime genre is my forte," Ben was confident, "Dummy, let me give you a director's tip: always choose to adapt if you can, forget about creating something original. With adaptations, there is an established audience, and the author has already planned out the plot, saving time and effort."

He continued, "It's also easier to pull investment from the film companies. However, we can't expect full support from Harvey for this adaptation because Weinstein Films' resources are limited, all concentrated on Quentin's projects."

Casey shrugged, "I only know how to act, I don't know how to direct."

The two went up to the third floor and found Chuck Hogan's studio, then knocked on the door.

Eliza came to open the door, and upon seeing Ben Affleck, she was taken aback before reacting, asking, "Are you... Ben Affleck?"

Ben mustered a smile on his long face, "Yes, I'm Ben." He asked, "Is 'The Prince of Thieves' author Chuck Hogan here?"

"Yes, he is here," Eliza turned back and called out, "Chuck, someone from Hollywood is here!"

Chuck Hogan opened the door from inside and was surprised to see not Martin but Ben Affleck.

But he quickly adjusted his mood and invited them in, "Please come in, gentlemen."

Ben and Casey entered the office suite and sat down on the sofa.

Chuck asked Eliza to bring the coffee.

Ben got straight to the point, taking out the copy of 'The Prince of Thieves' received from Weinstein Films, "Mr. Hogan, I've come here to inquire if you still hold the film adaptation rights to this book?"

Chuck admitted honestly, "I do, I've been trying to sell them for years, but without any success..."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered that Martin was due to come soon to discuss the rights to the novel.

Ben noticed Chuck's expression change, but didn't think much of it; to him, Chuck was just another writer anxiously waiting for a Hollywood adaptation. He went straight to the point, "I'm interested in purchasing the film adaptation rights to 'The Prince of Thieves' and turning it into a movie."

The reason he had taken notice of this particular book amidst Weinstein Films' vast database was specific, "Chuck, I grew up in the Boston area and I'm very familiar with it there, making me the best suited to adapt this novel."

With friends like Graham and Scorsese, Chuck had a basic understanding of the film industry and saw that the Ben Affleck before him seemed very sincere.

But he had doubts, as since 'Pearl Harbor,' things hadn't gone well for Ben Affleck; whatever film he acted in seemed to fail.

If 'The Prince of Thieves' had no other prospects, Chuck would have definitely considered it seriously.

The problem was that others were also interested.

...…

Martin made this trip not only with Bruce but also brought along Thomas.

When it was time to negotiate copyright, Thomas needed to step in.

Although this wasn't typically the job of an agent, Thomas didn't shy away from the responsibility, having researched the novel and Chuck Hogan the night before to facilitate a swift copyright negotiation.

The three of them found the office building, where the Escalade stopped next to a Volvo, and they headed directly to the third floor.

Bruce checked the company directory and led the way to Hogan's studio, knocking on the door.

Eliza opened the door, saw Bruce, and didn't recognize him.

But then she saw Martin coming from behind, raised her voice, and said, "Mr. Davis, you've arrived."

Martin had met Eliza at a party a few days earlier and smiled with a nod: "Hello, we meet again."

Eliza called into the suite loudly, "Chuck, Martin is here."

The door of the suite opened, and Chuck quickly stepped out to warmly shake Martin's hand at the door, saying, "I've been looking forward to your visit these days, so much that I couldn't focus on my work."

Due to Graham's connection, the two were familiar with each other, and Martin joked, "Your novel is so compelling that I got lost in its plot and almost forgot about you."

Chuck laughed heartily and invited Martin and his companions inside.

Eliza closed the studio door.

The suite door creaked open again.

Bruce instinctively shielded Martin and caught a glimpse of the person emerging, giving Martin a meaningful look.

Martin noticed that the individuals coming out were Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck.

Thomas, having heard about the incident at the Oscars from Martin, looked at the Affleck brothers in surprise and then at Chuck.

In some situations, an agent must be at the forefront for their client.

Thomas remained silent, but his displeasure was evident on his face.

Chuck explained in a low voice, "They showed up unannounced, without prior notice."

Martin turned around and took the initiative to greet them, "Hey, Ben, I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Neither did I," said Ben, approaching with an insinuating comment, "It's quite a coincidence."

He held up the novel in his hand, "You're not here for the rights to this book as well, are you?"

Martin smiled, "Chuck is a friend of mine, we met through Graham, I came specifically to visit him."

Ben was familiar with Graham, Scorsese's dedicated producer, and conjectured based on what he knew that Martin probably connected with Graham through the "Infernal Affairs" crew.

This reminded Ben of his good friend Matt Damon.

Martin disregarded Ben and looked at Thomas instead.

The latter immediately said, "Chuck, shall we discuss business?"

Realizing the relationship between Graham, Scorsese, and Martin, Chuck agreed, "Sure."

Casey, showing his discontent, said gloomily, "Hey, you—"

"Sorry, Mr. Affleck," Chuck interrupted them, "I have something to handle momentarily, so I'm afraid I can't entertain you anymore."

Ben's face soured, his long face stretching longer than a mule's.

Casey, who wasn't as calculating as Ben, said, "Ben and I don't only represent ourselves but also Weinstein Films. You've heard of Weinstein Films, haven't you?"

A sudden tinge of anxiety hit Chuck; he was familiar with the notorious name Harvey Weinstein.

Thomas couldn't help laughing, "Martin also represents more than just himself, he's here with Warner Bros."

Ben halted Casey from saying more and left his business card on the nearby desk, "Think it over and contact me whenever you're ready."

Chuck began to perceive some tension between Martin and Ben Affleck.

He didn't continue the conversation and had Eliza show them out.

Once they were gone, Chuck explained, "Martin, ever since I got your call, I've been preparing, and then they showed up out of the blue, catching me completely unready."

Martin was magnanimous in his response, "Don't worry about them, let's continue with our discussion."

Chuck invited them into his office within the suite and had the returning Eliza make coffee before saying, "I've heard about the bad reputation of Weinstein Films; there's a lot of talk about them within the New York authors' circle, even many who work with him do so out of fear for their futures..."

Thomas assured, "You don't have to worry; Weinstein Films isn't a threat to us."

Martin made a point of saying, "Graham has been highly recommending you to me, so I took the time to thoroughly read 'The Prince of Thieves' and have some thoughts about adapting it."

The two sides began discussing the adaptation and the rights.