Two days later, Zane and Victor were sitting across from Richard Linklater, a famous director from the world of independent movies. He was holding the script for Juno in his hand, a thoughtful look on his face.
"It's a very interesting script," Mr. Linklater said finally, a smile breaking through. "It's smart, sweet, and really honest. I like it a lot."
"Does that mean you'll direct it?" Zane asked, his voice full of hope. He was so excited, he could barely sit still.
"Yes," Mr. Linklater said. "I'm in."
Getting a director as talented as Mr. Linklater was a huge win for Wald Pictures. He was a self-taught star who had already won big awards. He was known for making movies about young people that felt real, funny, and full of heart. He was the perfect choice for Juno.
But, because he was such a big talent, he was also very expensive. Zane had to agree to pay him $1.2 million. It was a steep price, but Zane knew that to make the best movie, you had to hire the best people. It was worth it.
With Mr. Linklater on board, all three of Wald Pictures' new movies—Wrong Turn, Hard Candy, and Juno—were officially ready to start. Zane, having learned his lesson from his first movie, was happy to be the producer and let his amazing team handle the details.
...
A few days later, Zane, feeling excited and full of ideas, pitched his "newest, greatest plan" to Victor. It was the idea he'd had on the plane: making cheap "copycat" movies of big, upcoming blockbusters.
He thought Victor would love it. Instead, his CEO looked at him with a face full of... disappointment.
"Boss... please, you have to rethink this," Victor said, his voice sounding worried. "I know your idea will make money. But at what cost?"
Zane was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about, Victor? It's fast, easy money."
"I'm talking about our name," Victor said, his voice full of passion. "We're trying to build a real studio, a place where the best and brightest people in Hollywood want to work. If we become the 'copycat studio,' no talented writer or director will ever take us seriously. We'll be a joke. We'll make a quick buck, sure, but we'll kill our chances of ever being great."
He leaned forward. "More importantly, we will make every big studio in town hate us. They'll see us as parasites, and they'll try to crush us. Is that the company you want to build?"
Victor's words hit Zane like a bucket of ice water.
He had been so focused on the quick, easy money that he hadn't even thought about any of that. Victor was right. He was 100% right. Making a little fast cash wasn't worth ruining his big, long-term dream.
He looked at his CEO with real respect. "Victor... you're right," he said, his voice quiet and sincere. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid idea. A really stupid idea. Scrap it. We will never speak of it again."
As Victor left the office, looking relieved, a new, better thought sparked in Zane's mind.
Victor is right. Copying other people's movies is a dead end, he thought. We have to make our own, original, great movies. And I already have the best ideas for them! That's not copying, that's just being creative!
...
With the silly copycat plan in the trash, Zane dove into helping with the casting for Hard Candy.
He, Victor, and the movie's director, Zack Snyder, sat through a long, long day of auditions. It was frustrating.
"Sorry, you're not right for the part." "You're just a little too old for the character." "I'm just not feeling the 'spark' we're looking for."
The main role was for a teenage girl who had to act both sweet and innocent, and also super-smart and a little bit scary. After saying "no" to a dozen actresses, a familiar face walked in.
"Hello, my name is Jessica Alba," the beautiful 15-year-old said.
Zane recognized her right away! She was the future Invisible Woman from Fantastic Four. He watched her read the lines, but... she just wasn't right for this part. She was very charming and sweet, but she couldn't pull off the dark, scary-smart part of the character.
"Thank you for coming in, Jessica," Zane said politely. "We'll be in touch."
They were all starting to lose hope. Just as they were about to pack up, the final actress of the day walked in. She was only 13, but she had a quiet, serious look in her eyes that made her seem much older.
Her name was Scarlett Johansson. And her audition was... amazing. She was perfect.
For the male lead, the scary photographer, they found their guy in a struggling actor who was full of talent. His name was Mark Ruffalo.
Looking at the final casting list, Zane couldn't help but laugh out loud at how funny the world was.
To everyone else, he had just hired two unknown actors for a small, independent movie.
But he knew the truth.
He had just cast the future Black Widow and the future Hulk. His own little "Avengers" were starting to come together, right here at his tiny studio.
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