System in Hollywood

Monica Bellucci immediately realized something upon hearing this, and then began to think again.

Unfortunately, even Wayne and Mike couldn't find a suitable candidate right away, so how could she?

The truth is, Wayne was in a bit of a hurry. Directors of top-tier action movies like this typically need to be booked at least six months in advance.

For a project with a budget of at least $35 million, it's also common to begin pre-production more than six months ahead. But Wayne, on the other hand, just decided on a whim that he wanted to start shooting soon.

"If it doesn't work out, we'll have to bring Quentin in." Wayne muttered to himself after a moment of thought.

"Quentin? Who's that?" Monica Bellucci asked curiously.

"Quentin Tarantino, currently the assistant director on *Resident Evil 1 & 2.* He has a lot of potential when it comes to shooting action scenes. His style is sharp and violent, which would fit *Taken* perfectly," Wayne explained.

Monica Bellucci hadn't heard of Quentin's name before; after all, Hollywood had a plethora of directors, and Quentin was still a third-tier director at the time. His best box office performance had only been $39 million, so he wasn't famous.

However, she trusted Wayne's judgment. Since he felt Quentin was suitable, she stopped worrying about it and her furrowed brow relaxed.

After thinking it over a little more, Wayne confirmed there was no one better suited than Quentin. He called Susan, the producer of *Resident Evil,* asking her to talk to Quentin and coordinate with Nolan about any potential schedule changes.

On the other side, Quentin was just informed by Susan about Wayne's offer to direct *Taken,* and his initial reaction was to refuse.

Even though *Taken* had a production budget of over $35 million, an amazing opportunity for 99% of Hollywood directors, Quentin was eager to begin preparations for his own project, *Kill Bill.*

*Kill Bill* wouldn't start shooting until June 2002, but as both writer and director, Quentin had already begun working on the script, which reportedly had a massive 220-page draft. He'd even had to delay shooting because his muse, Uma Thurman, was pregnant that year. Otherwise, they would have started filming in July.

In the end, however, Quentin accepted the job of directing *Taken.*

He couldn't say no, especially since Wayne's offer was so generous.

A full $3 million! In Hollywood, that was the kind of salary only second-tier directors could command. For context, James Wan was paid $3.5 million to direct *The Dark Side.*

"I have to say, Mr. Wayne, you've got an incredible eye! I'll handle *Taken,* and I guarantee I won't be worse than Nolan!" Quentin said.

The next day, when Wayne visited the *Resident Evil* set, he saw Quentin's goofy face grinning brightly and couldn't help but marvel again at the power of money.

Thus, the director, writer, and main cast of *Taken* were set.

Quentin, the future master of action films with his signature violent aesthetic, would direct. Wayne himself would write the screenplay. The male lead was none other than Liam Neeson, with Scarlett Johansson and Monica Bellucci playing the lead female roles.

After some thought, Wayne cast Naomi Watts as the third female lead, the "superstar." Although the role wasn't significant, Wayne offered her a $1 million salary, which made Naomi so happy that she gave him several excited kisses.

As for the fourth female role, Amanda, the friend of the male lead's daughter, Wayne had initially considered casting Megan. However, since Megan was only 15 and still a minor, it might have caused some controversy, so he decided to open the role to auditions.

Additionally, for the supporting role of Peter, the handsome guy who flirts with the female lead, Wayne cast Cillian Murphy after careful consideration.

At this point, Cillian Murphy, like Ryan Reynolds, was taking any role he could get. After receiving the call from his agent, he accepted without even asking about the salary.

By the time *Taken* started shooting, Cillian's work on *Resident Evil 1* would be almost finished, so it wouldn't interfere with the schedule.

Interestingly, Liam Neeson was also working on *Gangs of New York,* directed by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. That film wasn't expected to wrap until late March, and Neeson played a supporting role.

Originally, Liam Neeson planned to take a break after *Gangs of New York.* Later that year, he was set to co-star with Harrison Ford in the historical thriller *K-19: The Widowmaker.*

Squeezing an action movie like *Taken* in between was definitely going to push his limits, especially at 49 years old.

But Wayne offered him $10 million right off the bat, with a three-film deal that guaranteed at least a 20% raise per movie.

That was a deal he just couldn't refuse.

For comparison, adding $4 million to that offer could have hired Ben Stiller. Adding $5 million could have landed Nicolas Cage, and adding $8 million could have brought in Keanu Reeves.

In terms of fame and influence, Liam Neeson at that time wasn't even half as famous as Ben Stiller.

In fact, in the original timeline, Neeson earned just over $30 million for the *Taken* trilogy, with only around $6 million for the first movie—and that was in 2007.

So, after hearing Wayne's offer, Neeson could hardly wait to finish his work on *Gangs of New York* and rush to audition and sign for *Taken.*

However, Wayne didn't have the budget right now. *Taken* wouldn't enter pre-production until *The Dark Side* was finished and the system's threefold returns came through. The auditions would likely take place in mid to late February.

After having lunch with Charlize Theron, Wayne got into his car and headed to the set of *The Dark Side* to check on the progress.

**[Name: Wayne]**

**[Remaining Film Investment Funds: $18.3 million]**

**[Current Film Projects:]**

**[*The Bourne Identity* - Budget: $56 million, $48 million invested]**

**[*Resident Evil 1 & 2* - Budget: $65 million, $21 million invested]**

**[*The Dark Side* - Budget: $14 million, $7.7 million invested]**

**[*Mean Girls* - Budget: $13 million, $200,000 invested]**

(End of Chapter)