System in Hollywood

"Excuse me, I need to take this call!"

Wayne let out a sigh of relief, grabbed his phone, and quickly left the room.

"Hey, Steven, are you calling me now because you have news?"

"Yes, Wayne, I've looked into it. We can adjust the female lead's scenes to shoot in April."

"That's fantastic! Believe me, once *Resident Evil* is released, if you want Sally to play the lead, it'll cost you at least double her current fee."

Soderbergh, on the other end of the line, raised an eyebrow at Wayne's confident tone.

Thanks to Wayne's backing as an investor, he had already offered Charlize Theron a hefty fee of $5 million. Doubling that would make it $10 million? In today's industry, only a handful of actresses like Jennifer Aniston or Meryl Streep command over $10 million per film.

Even Julia Roberts had been just shy of that mark before winning her Oscar.

As actresses age, their fees tend to drop. In all of Hollywood, there have never been more than 10 actresses at any given time earning over $10 million per film.

Compared to male stars, who can easily command millions, the number of top-earning actresses is just a fraction.

So, by Hollywood standards, if Charlize Theron could earn $10 million, she would undoubtedly be considered a top-tier or even A-list star.

For other production companies to accept such a high fee, *Resident Evil* would need to gross at least $300 million worldwide with Theron as the lead.

"He's really confident in *Resident Evil's* box office," Soderbergh thought, shaking his head after hanging up the phone.

If anyone else had said this, he might have dismissed it unless the person was someone like James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, or George Lucas.

But Wayne and his Hemera Pictures had achieved such remarkable success so far that, while it was hard to believe, Soderbergh didn't completely doubt it.

And if Wayne's prediction came true, his own *Ocean's Eleven* would make a killing too!

Thinking of that, Soderbergh's mood brightened. The exhaustion from adjusting the shooting schedule for days suddenly felt much lighter.

On the other side, Wayne wasted no time sharing the good news with Charlize Theron.

"With you as the lead in this film, your fame will only grow, and soon you'll be commanding at least $10 million per movie."

Just then, Sarah Michelle Gellar happened to pass by and overheard the conversation. She paused, feeling a pang of envy.

Since her "private audition," she had quit all her bad habits, focusing on diet, exercise, and wellness.

But it had been almost ten days, and Wayne hadn't contacted her even once.

This made her feel anxious and restless, and she couldn't help but recall her agent's previous advice.

Every time she saw Scarlett or Martina, whose fame and income had soared after working with Wayne, or Amanda, who relentlessly pursued him, her feelings of conflict deepened.

"Actresses earning over $10 million... there aren't even 10 of them in all of Hollywood, right?"

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Sarah Michelle Gellar finally made up her mind.

She was 24 now. If she didn't seize this opportunity, she would risk fading into obscurity.

And how many Hollywood couples really last in the end?

Giving up such a promising opportunity for a boyfriend she had only known for two months, with no certainty about their future, felt incredibly foolish.

With that in mind, Sarah Michelle Gellar, having wrapped up her scenes for the day, hurried to the dressing room to change. Instead of heading home, she called Freddie to arrange a breakup.

"But how can I make sure Wayne knows I'm single again? Maybe I'll use my breakup as an excuse to invite him out for a drink. Even if he's busy and turns me down, at least he'll know I'm available."

With that thought, she eagerly reached for her phone but then hesitated, putting it back down. She didn't want to cause Wayne any trouble. It would be best to handle the breakup first.

On the other side, Wayne had no idea that his busy schedule had inadvertently caused Sarah Michelle Gellar to end her relationship.

After making dinner plans with Charlize Theron and agreeing to spend the night at her place, he returned to filming.

In the following days, worried that his company's funds might run out prematurely, Wayne found himself frequently checking the system's financial panel.

Meanwhile, after breaking up with Freddie, Sarah Michelle Gellar sent Wayne a message the next day.

"Huh? Sarah Michelle Gellar broke up with Freddie Prinze Jr.? Then what about next year's *Scooby-Doo*? Will they still be the leads?"

Wayne was momentarily taken aback upon seeing the message.

*Scooby-Doo* was a Warner Bros. production that starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. as the leads in a live-action/animated hybrid film.

Initially, it was just a money-laundering project. The highest-profile star in the film, Freddie Prinze Jr., was only a C-lister. The special effects were subpar, and the real budget was under $20 million, even though the official production cost was reported as $84 million.

But unexpectedly, the film performed incredibly well, grossing $275 million globally and earning Warner Bros. a fortune.

Unfortunately, the dog was the standout character, so neither Freddie Prinze Jr. nor Sarah Michelle Gellar saw much of a boost in fame, remaining relatively low-tier stars.

Interestingly, Hemera Pictures had received a project proposal for *Scooby-Doo* earlier.

For an investment of $10 million, they could have secured a 35% share of the box office revenue and casting control over the female lead. The return on investment was nearly 500%.

After some thought, Wayne, ever the gentleman, decided to console the newly single Sarah Michelle Gellar.

However, she alone wasn't much of a match for him, so after half an hour, Wayne had to call in Isla Fisher and Keri Russell for backup.

(End of chapter)