Just over half an hour later, Bella Anderson returned.
"I've called the publisher and spoken with Mr. and Mrs. Kyle to get the general picture," Bella said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from Matthew. She began to explain in detail, "Ever since 'Arican Sniper' hit the bestseller list, a number of small and mid-sized film companies have contacted Taya Kyle. And just as we suspected, she's looking to sell at a premium. She's angling for a higher price for the rights and trying to use these other companies to put pressure on us."
Matthew nodded quietly. If it weren't for Taya Kyle, the film rights to the book would already be his.
But in the world of business, this sort of thing was normal. Just as he sought to maximize the returns on the films he invested in, Taya Kyle wanted to sell her husband's unique experience for the best possible price.
Bella continued, "The Weinstein Company has also taken an interest in the book. The autobiography fits their typical filmmaking and production style perfectly. Soone at the publishing house—an internal rival of the editor who handled 'Arican Sniper'—connected Harvey Weinstein with the Kyles, and they had a eting today."
She cleared her throat. "Harvey Weinstein and the Kyles didn't reach an agreent. I called Chris Kyle, and he seems to really despise Harvey Weinstein. He told
over the phone that Weinstein tried to strong-arm them, but he pushed back."
"That's Harvey Weinstein's typical style."
Bella added, "For now, they haven't made a deal with anyone. We're still the frontrunner, and Taya Kyle is just contacting other companies to pressure us."
Hearing this, Matthew thought for a mont and quickly made a decision. "Keep negotiating with the Kyles as planned. Go as high as ten million dollars, and secure the rights for 'Arican Sniper' as soon as you can."
"Alright." Bella nodded gently. "I've been lowballing the rights fee so far, letting Taya Kyle think five million is our ceiling. I'll increase the price accordingly. I think they'll sign the agreent soon."
Matthew waved a hand. "You handle the details."
Bella said no more and left to prepare for the next round of negotiations with Taya Kyle.
"One more thing," Matthew added. "I hear Harvey Weinstein is planning to go to the Cannes Film Festival this year to acquire a film."
Bella considered this for a mont before answering. "The Weinstein Company attends the film markets at the three major festivals every year, buying up the rights to independent productions to distribute them in North Arica."
Matthew said, "Alright then, Bella. Finish the negotiations with the Kyles, and then you're going to the Cannes Film Festival."
"We don't have a distribution arm," Bella pointed out, assuming Matthew also wanted to go to the festival to acquire rights for a suitable film.
Matthew shook his head gently. "Keep an eye on Harvey Weinstein. Wherever he tries to buy sothing, get your foot in the door. We don't need the rights to these independent arthouse films—they're useless to us. Our sole purpose is to be the bargaining chip for the rights holder, to drive up the price. We're going to make Harvey Weinstein pay a much higher price for any film he wants to acquire."
Bella nodded instantly. "I understand."
After she left, Matthew leaned back in his chair and mulled things over for a while. He didn't know if Harvey Weinstein had deliberately interfered with 'Arican Sniper' to cause him trouble, but he was definitely going to fight back.
This was just a light jab for now, but in the future, he planned to deliver a blow from which Weinstein would never recover.
The latest update from Ronan Farrow was promising. After months of persistent work, he had convinced several actresses, including Rose McGowan, to give verbal statents about what Harvey Weinstein had done to them. But a few wasn't enough; they needed more people to co forward.
And if information surfaced from both inside and outside the industry at the sa ti, Harvey Weinstein would find himself in an even more difficult position.
Then there was the social climate to consider.
This matter required not only a thorough investigation and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but also perfect timing with the social zeitgeist.
When the won's rights movent was at its peak and the voices of progressive won were at their strongest, that would be the ti to strike a fatal blow. Faced with a tidal wave of public pressure from all corners of society, not even a Hollywood titan could withstand it.
Patience was still required...
Matthew sighed, then called Helen and Amanda to set up a eting at the Angel Agency. He rushed over to discuss the Harvey Weinstein matter with them further.
Both Amanda and Helen were on the sa page as him—it wasn't the right ti to make a move.
After a few days off, Matthew returned to the set of 'Fast Five' to resu filming.
The backlot at Disney Studios had been transford to look like a Rio de Janeiro favela. While shooting on location in Rio would have produced the best effect, everyone knew the city was riddled with cri, and the crew didn't need to take that kind of risk.
In front of the cara, Matthew vaulted over a low wall, scrambled onto a roof, and took off running. Not far from him, a muscular Latino man was also running, occasionally performing complex, parkour-like moves.
A cara mounted on a dolly track moved swiftly, keeping pace right behind Matthew.
Matthew had long since recovered from that chaotic night in Rio, his body brimming with explosive power. Within seconds, just as the scene was choreographed, he overtook the fleeing Latino man.
Spotting the large, green crash mat ahead, Matthew knew it was ti. He planted his feet firmly and lunged forward with all his might, tackling the fleeing man. They both went down, landing squarely on the mat.
The mont Matthew hit the mat, he rolled and sprang back to his feet. He was clearly faster than the other man. Before his opponent could get up, Matthew was on him, pinning him down with one hand choking his neck.
The Latino actor struggled to resist, but Matthew easily subdued him.
"Cut!" yelled Justin, the director.
Matthew released the muscular Latino actor and got up. He then offered a hand and pulled the stuntman to his feet. The man gave him a grateful nod.
The production moved to another location for a scene where Paul Walker's character was stealing cars from a high-speed train. Matthew joined him for the sequence. On cara, the scenes looked incredibly thrilling, but they were shot in a very controlled, safe environnt. For many of the high-speed shots, it was the cara that was actually moving, not the vehicles.
For Matthew and Paul Walker, it was mostly just posing.
A big-budget action movie like this was never short on dramatic close-ups to heighten the spectacle.
Of course, there were plenty of complex shots as well.
After a relatively simple take, the action director found Matthew and Paul Walker to explain the focus of the next scene.
"Paul, you'll be running along the roof."
The director pointed to the roof of the prop train car. "Run as fast as you can!"
If the train had been moving at high speed, the scene would have been difficult and dangerous, but the prop train was only moving at about the speed of a light jog.
Filming soon began. The train started to move, and Paul Walker took off running down the length of the train car. A mont later, a pickup truck pulled up alongside, chasing him.
"Jump!" Daniel yelled from the driver's seat. "Brian, jump!"
There was a roadbed next to the tracks, but the pickup wasn't right up against the train, so making the jump would definitely be a challenge.
Paul Walker glanced ahead as he ran and, without a second's hesitation, launched himself into a high jump. Matthew quickly moved to clear a space for him.
His silhouette soared through the air like a great bird before he landed in the bed of the pickup. The truck bed's inner walls had been modified with soft materials to absorb the montum of his landing.
But it wasn't quite enough.
He must have jumped with too much force. When Paul Walker landed in the truck bed, his body tilted, still carried forward by his montum.
Matthew quickly reached out and grabbed his shoulder, allowing Paul Walker to steady himself.
"Go!" Matthew slapped the roof of the cab and yelled to Daniel. "Let's move!"
He and Paul ducked down.
Just then, Justin yelled to cut, and the shot was a success.
Paul Walker stood up, stretching his legs and feet. "That was a tricky stunt," he said.
Matthew shrugged. "Co on, let's get ready for the next shot."
Over the last few days, the crew had been focusing on scenes with the two male leads. Since their characters carried the weight of the film, there was naturally no shortage of scenes where they fought side-by-side.
Matthew spent the next week on set, and filming proceeded smoothly. Justin kept the production moving forward according to schedule.
In early April, filming continued on location, but Matthew's scenes at the Disney studio were mostly finished. He left the set for a while to fly to New York on the East Coast to attend a previously confird charity event.
The UN Fund for Won and Children, along with several major North Arican advocacy groups for won's and children's rights and prominent dia outlets like The New York Tis, had organized the charity event. It was aid at protecting won and children, and invitations had been sent to many wealthy and influential figures, as well as nurous celebrities.
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