Director in Hollywood

In a café, Gilbert and Kane met Peter Jackson.

When the topic came up, Peter Jackson looked frustrated.

He said, "You don't know yet?"

"Know what?"

"There are rumors that Washington intends to establish relations with the Cook Islands and Niue, providing them with economic aid. New Zealand has a strong influence in these places, and this move immediately sparked internal dissatisfaction.

Since you are from Hollywood, the authorities don't dare to openly confront Washington, so they are taking their frustration out on you."

Peter Jackson's explanation suddenly made things clear for Gilbert and Kane.

Gilbert never paid much attention to these matters, so he didn't know much about them. But he never expected that such issues would end up affecting his film crew.

So why didn't Peter Jackson encounter this problem when he filmed The Lord of the Rings in the past?

The reason was quite simple. First, Peter Jackson was a New Zealander.

Second, The Lord of the Rings was prepared at a later time, and by then, the situation had likely been resolved, and the tensions had passed.

The ever-changing political landscape was unpredictable, and no one expected such a major shift that would ultimately impact his production.

Back in his hotel room, Gilbert was irritated and deeply troubled. He even lost his temper and threw something—something he rarely did.

The people chatting in the room were startled. Cameron Diaz quickly asked, "Honey, what happened?"

"Something unexpected came up. Don't ask too much," Gilbert replied.

He thought for a moment. Since an unforeseen complication had arisen, he might have to make some changes.

After sending Noriko Sakai and the others off on their flight, Gilbert and Cameron Diaz returned to Los Angeles, ending their vacation.

Kane, however, stayed in New Zealand to continue negotiations with local authorities.

"Gilbert, was the trip to New Zealand successful?" As soon as Gilbert returned, Robert Iger and Doug Walter came to see him.

Gilbert shook his head. "Not very smooth. New Zealand suddenly raised their conditions."

"I've heard about it. No one could have foreseen this kind of situation," Robert Iger nodded.

Doug Walter asked, "So what do we do now? Do we wait for this matter to blow over?"

"No," Gilbert made his decision. "We need to change locations. Time is tight. If we want to start filming in 1999, we must begin preparations this year.

We can't afford to wait too long. The longer we delay, the more uncertain things become."

Since Gilbert had made his decision, Robert Iger and Doug Walter immediately expressed their full support within Disney and Warner Bros.

By this point, it was no longer a secret in Hollywood that Gilbert was working to bring The Lord of the Rings to the big screen.

Meanwhile, at the newly established talent agency, Michael Ovitz and his old partner Martin Bob were discussing business.

"I just checked in on Armageddon. Production is going well, and it's on track for a summer 1998 release," Martin Bob reported.

"Good. Martin, this is our first major project. It must not fail," Michael Ovitz said firmly.

Martin Bob nodded in agreement, then shifted the conversation to Gilbert's The Lord of the Rings adaptation.

"Do you think Gilbert will succeed?"

"The Lord of the Rings is considered one of the hardest books to adapt. If it were anyone else, I'd say it's impossible. But Gilbert? I'm not so sure," Michael Ovitz replied.

He couldn't help it—Gilbert was an enigma. There always seemed to be something almost supernatural about his success. So Michael Ovitz remained skeptical.

"Do you think we should…?" Martin Bob didn't finish his sentence, but Michael Ovitz already understood what he meant.

Michael Ovitz shook his head. "Forget it, Martin. Let the past stay in the past. We need to move forward.

After dealing with Gilbert for years, I've figured it out—if you don't provoke him, he won't come after you for no reason."

Martin Bob nodded and gave up any schemes he had in mind.

Michael Ovitz's skepticism was shared by most of Hollywood.

Adapting The Lord of the Rings was an immense challenge, often labeled as an impossible task. But when people heard that Gilbert was the one attempting it, they were only half-convinced.

Who knows? What if he actually pulled it off?

Recent reports of Gilbert's difficulties in New Zealand had added a layer of uncertainty to the project. Even though the problem stemmed from Washington's actions, it still cast a shadow over the film.

At this point, Gilbert's The Lord of the Rings adaptation was only circulating as an internal Hollywood rumor. The news had yet to reach the outside world.

If The Lord of the Rings fans found out that Gilbert was taking on the adaptation, the outcry would be overwhelming.

Of course, if there were any conflicts of interest, that wouldn't stop competitors from using it against him.

For now, The Lord of the Rings lacked a confirmed shooting location, but Gilbert's new project had already passed Disney and Warner Bros.' review and was moving toward official approval.

After Doug Walter left, Robert Iger privately discussed something with Gilbert.

"Mr. Eisner's health is not good. He has fainted several times recently," Robert Iger said.

"How bad is it?"

"Not optimistic. I've been trying to keep it quiet, but at this rate, the board will find out sooner or later," Robert Iger said with concern.

"This is an opportunity," Gilbert stroked his chin. "But we need to be careful. Power transitions like this are the easiest times for unexpected events."

"I understand…"

It was clear that Michael Eisner's health was no longer sufficient to sustain his role as Disney's chairman.

Ever since Michael Ovitz had been ousted, Disney had been left without a CEO, meaning no one was there to share Eisner's workload.

Gilbert and Robert Iger's strategy was to align with Michael Eisner for the time being, using his remaining influence to help Robert Iger ascend to the CEO position.

Robert Iger was pushing for Disney to acquire Melon Studios, supporting a stock exchange deal.

If he became Disney's CEO, he would move forward with the acquisition, giving Gilbert an opportunity to enter Disney's board of directors.

But Gilbert wanted to strengthen his position first.

At the very least, he wanted The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter to succeed before negotiating.

Warner Bros. was also waiting on the sidelines. Right now, Gilbert was in a position of power, and he could afford to wait for both sides to bid.

In fact, if Disney and Warner Bros. were willing, they could collaborate on this acquisition just as they did with film projects.

Each studio could contribute some stock, splitting the acquisition of Melon Studios evenly.

With Melon Studios at the center, this could create a tight-knit alliance that would bring Disney and Warner Bros. into closer cooperation.

However, a Disney-Warner alliance would be a terrifying force, likely putting immense pressure on other studios, potentially forcing them to form their own counter-alliance.

While these discussions were still premature, some matters were best planned for in advance.

For now, the primary focus was Gilbert's new project—the long-planned action sci-fi film The Matrix.