NOVEL SIMPLE 351. star wars
Official casting calls are now open, inviting the entire film community to audition for roles in the new Star Wars movies. Even a sneak peek was leaked to the press. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is set to be released in 1997, as all production sets have been handled by Billy, among many others. People were eager to see everything come to fruition. Lucas's approach was logical; many actors were hired, and there was an idea of who to cast for certain roles.
They needed actors for young Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, while the other roles were mostly filled, except for a few.
-Did you get it? - asked Raimon, on the phone, his voice filled with desperation. The voice laughed but didn’t reply.
-Like in video game companies, business first, then pleasure. - commented Billy.
-Mmmmmmmm, you are the worst kind of human being. - Raimon said, taking a deep breath, almost hyperventilating. - I worked hard, organized the accounts in each company, evaluated the games, delivered my ideas, and assessed each company's talent. I sent requests to recruitment firms to get two managers for Raven and Paralex. They need them... On the other hand, I cut unnecessary expenses and set a budget for the fiscal year. I bought AOL shares under the fund you wanted and arranged new payment contracts with banks, with lower interest rates. -
So we have an advantage in shares. - thought Billy - planning the strike on Warner, a blow strong enough to completely break the Warner group, for now focusing on AOL shares.
-You got the part. - Billy commented.
-Yes! Yes, I’m the best man in the world. - Raimon exclaimed.
-Hold your horses, your lines are minimal, meaning you barely have any, but you’ll appear three times. They asked me to tell you either to lose weight or wear a costume; you must meet certain requirements. - Billy said. But Raimon didn’t listen, still laughing like a madman, unable to hear Billy’s words. He was wearing his lucky Star Wars shirt, just for the chance to get a nod in the Star Wars movies.
-Hahahahahahahahaha - the laughter over the phone was all Billy could hear, with complete disregard for what he was saying.
-Yes, I’m the man, I’m the man. - Raimon shouted, beating his chest, while Billy kept the speaker on his desk, sketching preferred designs for Yu-Gi-Oh cards. The first season had a total of 2200 cards, spread across different decks, all focused on the first season of the 231-episode anime series, along with the 38 volumes of the manga, totaling about 250 chapters.
For now, he had 500 cards sketched, ready to be delivered, using half a sheet per card, two per card, and he brought different decks of all the rivals in the series.
Raimon panted after two minutes.
-Thanks for getting me the part, I suppose you had to do something for George, and I don't want to know, but thanks. - Raimon said.
-No problem. However, the instructions are that you need to lose some weight, at least 10 pounds. You’ll have to do some physical activities and follow a healthy routine. Your size is too large for the character. - Billy commented.
-Sure, that's easy... -
-Raimon, I'm not kidding, you need to diet. - Billy said.
-Yes, don’t worry, I got ahead of you. I gave up pizza Fridays and all-you-can-eat Sundays. - Raimon responded, causing Billy to feel like hitting his head against a wall. Exercising isn’t just about not eating.
***
-Billy recommended the young Natalie Portman for the role of Padmé. Although I have a few reservations, I think she did a remarkable job in the audition. - commented Rick McCallum.
-You're right, but... - George Lucas tried to say something, his friend Francis Ford Coppola had brought her for his daughter's role, but the girl didn't have the acting talent. However, there were Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Eliza Dushku, all of whom had outstanding looks and experience in the industry. Nevertheless, there was something undeniable about Natalie's youthful appearance that fit the role perfectly, a tender beauty not seen in others except for Rachel Leigh Cook, who played a similar role.
-We have Rachel and Natalie, we need a backup. Both have a certain resemblance. We will choose from many others. But Sabé is also essential. - commented George Lucas.
The plan is to add complexity to Padmé. Billy mentioned that the success of the previous Star Wars films was in having three great protagonists and giving them depth. Therefore, they would use Sabé to add depth to Padmé and simultaneously bring darkness and light to Star Wars. Many aspects of this movie have two needs: to provide different environments and to deliver a mature story with concepts like slavery, fear, politics, evil, good, human emotions, and development.
A soap opera with lightsabers, that's what will attract people. The script took a year to write and was re-evaluated with several suspense, drama, and horror screenwriters.
-You're going to be the director, Steven. What do you think of this? - asked George Lucas. At Billy's insistence, they hired Steven for 40 million dollars, an unprecedented payment that increased the budget from 85 million to 105 for the first installment, to shoot the first two movies, with George being the second director and producer.
Steven reluctantly accepted, asking for a percentage, but Billy denied it, saying he already had enough with Lucas's percentage. He then asked for 20 million and some concessions to use the distribution company for the future DreamWorks.
-I think they are all very good actors, but in this case, I have to follow your lead, George. You have a point. - Steven commented.
-Well, then let's move forward with our young Obi-Wan. - George Lucas nodded. One of the painful parts is accepting a director, but Billy was honest; he wanted the best director of the moment. A great movie requires great characters. Cutting costs is not the issue. I want Star Wars to be bigger, so we need big things.
Something George agreed to, and after much debate, they decided to continue with the selection of women, though a small surprise wouldn't hurt.
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