Since Final Destination was successful and created a path for consistent profit through a bi-yearly sequel, 20th Century Fox was happy and didn't think twice about casting Tobey Maguire for another horror movie.
When Tobey received a call from his agent, he was hesitant at first. Being an actor, he wanted to expand his acting range. He thought of trying musicals if possible. He even thought of taking singing lessons.
The Academy Awards had a strong love for musicals and realistic movies, and Tobey wanted to try and see if he could compete for a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor award. It depended.
Anyway, he imdiately changed his mind when he realized that the script was written by none other than Kazir Grey! The director also wrote so key points about the movie, specifically the found footage genre.
When Tobey read the title, he was sold.
The Paranormal Activity.
Yes, Tobey Maguire was cast in the movie as the father of a newborn baby who was going to be kidnapped by a demon.
Unlike the original version of Paranormal Activity, this one had a slightly higher budget and a polished script, thanks to Kazir's involvent.
It still retained the core the and horror feel of found footage, but with stronger thrilling scenes that might cause the audience to shriek in fear. Honestly, Paranormal Activity was not that scary, but it had shocking scenes that could wake people from their stupor.
Tobey saw the potential. It wasn't just a jump scare fest; it was psychological and had a chilling atmosphere. A different kind of horror movie than the usual slasher films.
Playing a father was a new role for Tobey Maguire, and he was interested in it. Tobey had a baby face, so he had to do so makeover to appear older, hence the thick beard and the weight gain.
In a way, he was following Leonardo DiCaprio's steps. Leonardo was also known as a young, handso actor in the 90s; he always had this young baby face. But Leonardo transitioned, and his appearance now had a mature and older vibe to it. Unlike the 90s, when Leonardo could only take young teenage roles, he could easily snag older and better roles in the 2000s.
Tobey called his agent back and agreed after reading the script. Kazir's na was enough to convince him that this could be a ga-changer.
Who didn't like a box office success? If this horror movie made money at the box office, then Tobey would also have strong negotiation power in his next projects.
His salary was $3 million and 7% of the North Arican box office share. With his fa and status, Tobey Maguire could easily get this kind of contract. 20th Century Fox also agreed since they needed a strong actor for this small-budget horror movie.
The success of Final Destination could be factored into Tobey's casting, so 20th Century Fox didn't have a problem with a $3 million salary plus 7% North Arican box office share.
In fact, the studio was satisfied that Tobey only asked for $3 million. For a superstar like him, he could easily ask for $10 million. Tobey and his agent decided to trust Kazir. The director was known for being a success magnet. Any project that Kazir participated in always generated profit.
The budget for Paranormal Activity was only $10 million, so 20th Century Fox happily signed the contract with Tobey. The studio didn't have any intention of increasing the budget since this was only a horror movie.
In the original tiline, the budget of Paranormal Activity was only $15,000. Very, very small.
But this ti, it was different; with Tobey Maguire as one of the lead actors in the movie and the trust that 20th Century Fox put into the project, the budget increased to $10 million.
Including the money 20th Century Fox spent on buying the script from Kazir, the overall expenses for Paranormal Activity were $15 million.
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It was still February and basically the start of the year, yet so major events had already happened that could have changed the future.
Aside from box office movies, events such as the new President of Arica and the first Bitcoin transaction happened in January.
On January 12, 2009, the first Bitcoin transaction happened. The creator of Bitcoin sent 10 BTC to a developer and supporter of Bitcoin. This sort of started cryptocurrency trading. People wouldn't expect that this kind of currency would beco massive in the next 10 years. In 2020, the average price of one Bitcoin was $11,116, while the peak was $28,886.
Knowing the future, Kazir started farming Bitcoin. Even owning one Bitcoin in 2020 was already fulfilling, so Kazir intended to earn at least a hundred Bitcoins. Bitcoin was still useless, so Kazir had no problem farming them. Perhaps in the next few years, his na would also beco famous as one of the biggest crypto magnates.
Kazir easily earned billions without putting in huge investnts. All he had to do was hoard Bitcoins while they were still useless.
He quietly built a mining setup in his basent. Even Scarlett was confused about what he was doing. Kazir just explained that he was trying a new hobby.
While others chased fa, scripts, and positions in Hollywood, Kazir diversified his portfolio. To the world, he was just a director, erm, a billionaire director. But in the crypto world, he was preparing to beco one of the earliest whales in cryptocurrency history. Kazir grinned as he imagined the future.
Anyway, aside from Bitcoin, there was another huge event that affected the United States: the Presidential election and the winner.
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