Rise To Stardom - Chapter 213

Chapter 213: As Planned
Summer, fleeting as expected, ran its course duly.

Autumn, was here.

And with the shift in meteorological seasons, two months had slowly passed by.

The Hollywood Writer’s & Actor’s Guild strike, was over.

Their slew of requests had also been met, albeit some had to be compromised upon.

Agree to disagree as they say.

But, for the most part, it favored the top dogs in the filmmaking business.

Atlas International ‘especially’.

Just like that, producing movies was back on the table.

And of course, unrestrained giddiness came with it.

Hollywood actors et celebrities, most of whom had been struggling to keep themselves relevant during the drought and also make some big fat cash, be they indie or popular, jumped into action.

Movie scripts, whether good or bad, they were on it like ants.

But for some actors, the scripts affluently came to meet them.

And one of such actors, was none other than Kyle himself, his spectacles, resting on the ridge of his nose as he perused through a fairly bulky script in his hands.

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{Stray Wolves} – (91%)

In an effort to be the very first to secure the legendary box of Kukulkan, an artifact rumored to be able to remake the world in one’s own image, a group of professional treasure hunters, mercenaries and fortune seekers, venture into the perilous ruins of the hidden city of Ch’akuk K’in, a lost Mayan Civilization where legendary box resides. A brainchild of the renowned Martin O. Ronan, this script, written by Director Xavier Cage for a ChillFlix adaptation, follows the fictitious tales as told in that of the masterfully-written book for an excellent, live-action adaptation.

___________________________

Having received the soft-copy of the script from Oliver yesterday night, Kyle was finally chanced to actually read through it after printing it out at his office this morning.

Occasionally, a few amused simpers would nestle on his lips from time to time as he read said script, prompting his team to glance at him with a hint of noticeable curiosity at what he was reading.

At some point though, Kyle’s simpers, evolved into multiple, short bursts of genuinely pleased chuckles.

“Uh Kyle… is the script, perhaps, a comedy?” Owen couldn’t help but question at this point, mirroring everyone’s thoughts and questions on what Kyle was reading.

“Comedy? Heavens no. Far from that actually.” Kyle lightly chuckled as he tried to explain;

“Action-adventure, psychological… survival?–– would be more fitting, I guess?”

“Then what’s got you all dandy?” Gwen, briefly twirling in her chair to face him, inquired, her brow curiously arched.

“Damian Wolf. He’s the main antagonist in the story… just like the books…” Kyle chuckled a bit as he stated, his lips parting open again as he added in acknowledgement;

“He’s such a bad guy!”

This time, Owen and Gwen, glanced over to each other and then, asked in sync, genuinely concerned squints, leveled at their boss.

“And why, do you find that, funny?”

“Kyle enjoys dark humor. Damian has quite a few of those. Kyle is pleased.” Oliver filled in the gaps, casually sipping on his morning coffee whilst confidently adding;

“Was one of the major reasons I picked up the script amongst the plethora of many that was sent to him in fact… the other being that it’s a live-action adaptation of a great book.”

“Curious…” Jennie audibly mused aloud, finding another interesting nugget of the Kyle she as a fan, had no idea of.

“Damian’s bad. And I mean, bad. Like bad bad… with literally, no iota of morality or complex underlying reasons to the things he does, but…” Kyle on the other hand, appreciative of his agent’s succinct elucidation, gestured to everyone in the room, his amused gaze still trained on the script.

“But what?” Stuart and Miguel simultaneously remarked in curiosity.

“That’s what the script, and the book, have always wanted me to think.” Kyle thoughtfully responded, a clearly impressed smile, settling on his lips as he continued;

“In any case, like Oliver said, he also has a way with words…”

“…makes his clearly, unhinged diabolical acts, feel so intriguing and valid, in a twisted, almost sickening yet ingratiating kind of way.” he added a few more words for exposition as another pleased expression, graced his features.

“So, you were offered his role?” Camille whom had been, and was still sorting through a few legal documents here and there, rhetorically questioned, her tone clearly interested.

“Yep.” Kyle nodded in response.

“Up for it?” Oliver inquired, despite his certainty that his ward wouldn’t turn it down.

“Oliver, I’m so flattered that I was chosen for this so, yes. Definitely.” Kyle replied affirmatively.

“In fact, just for good measure, I’ll also send in a screening tape.” the young star added excitedly.

In response to that, Oliver was about to give a light nod of acknowledgement, only to hear his phone which was placed atop the table, ring.

Seeing the unknown number on it, the agent tilted his head in slight curiosity, especially since his RealCaller Identifier app, labelled it as ‘Private Number’.

Picking it up, curious as to whom was calling, Oliver professionally spoke;

“Hello, this is Oliver Stone speaking.”

No sooner had the agent done that though, his eyes widened in a mix of genuine shock and a hint of wariness when he heard the voice from the other end, introduce herself.

However, a few seconds later of conversing, Oliver’s previous expression of stunned wariness, one everyone else in the office had noticed due to the subtle shift in his usually reserved tone as he spoke, morphed into something else entirely.

Annoyance.

‘That’s, not good …’ Kyle inwardly remarked as he studied his agent’s visage.

Oliver rarely ever got ticked off.

In fact, even when he himself was being a little rascal and he’d give him a stone cold glare, Kyle usually picked up on the subtly hidden layer of loving concern behind his grey irises still.

But now, none of that subtleness was there.

Oliver, really was annoyed.

And that was why, no sooner had he rounded up the call…

“Yes. Alright. I’ll schedule a meeting as soon as I can and get back to you.”

… Kyle inquired, calmly;

“What’s wrong?”

Letting out a deep breath to calm himself, the agent, responded, a hint of irritation still layered beneath his cool voice;

“Atlas International, wants to buy out SpawnPoint Studios and your IP rights to [Tech Wiz].”

The atmosphere in the office noticeably became tense, Oliver’s words being the catalyst.

“Here we go again…” Camille was the first to comment, audibly sighing with a concerned gaze as she massaged her temples.

Having dealt with a similar scenario like this in the past, one where Atlas requested for an audience to buy out a merchandising firm she had been the legal advisor for, she knew exactly how far the industry juggernaut would go to secure something they wanted.

Gwen, Owen, Miguel, Jennie and Stuart, also had markedly synonymous reactions, although theirs was characterized mainly by the waves of wariness marking their features.

It was practically common knowledge in the industry that Atlas International, always got what they wanted, one way or the other with their slimy tendrils.

“Well, that came earlier than we expected.” Kyle thoughtfully commented, his calm demeanor brushing off most of the tension in the room as Oliver posed a curious question with a furrowed brow;

“You don’t think they’ve caught on to the fact that we’ve been contacting various Directors and Producers for the live action adaptation of it, right?”

With noticeably surprised gazes on their features, the rest of Kyle’s team, panned their heads in the duo’s direction as they calmly conversed instead.

In a way, it made them feel less troubled seeing that their bosses weren’t all that shaken up by the sudden occurrence.

“We’ve purposely been sending handwritten e-mails for that exact reason to prevent leaks to the media so, I seriously doubt it.” Kyle gestured towards his agent in response as he continued;

“Rather, I think it’s the game’s sales figures and the cascade of marketing profits that has them interested.”

To that, Oliver agreed with a light nod as Gwen, whom had now composed herself much like the other team members, remarked thoughtfully, her fingers resting on her chin;

“Come to think of it, I did read an article online that Walt Brothers Comics was bought out by Atlas a few days back…”

Instantly, a light of realization surfaced in everyone’s irises, the Social Media & PR Manager’s information efficiently clearing things up quickly.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Owen spoke not long after.

To that, Kyle replied, his voice respectful yet brimming with confident authority;

“Nothing’s changed, really. We’ll do as we’ve planned.”

“Oliver and I will keep contacting Directors and Producers who value staying true to source materials.” Kyle continued resolutely.

“I’ll also schedule a meeting in the coming days with Atlas International.” the agent chipped in as he downed the last of his coffee, to which Kyle nodded in appreciation and then continued;

“Jennie and I still have to polish up [Your Odyssey] but, I’ll keep making preparations with Stuart for next year’s tour and Super Bowl’s Halftime.”

To that, Stuart casually saluted while Jennie, nodded resolutely.

Glancing over to Gwen, the young star didn’t even need to say a thing as she assuredly stated with a confident grin;

“Best believe I have a good chunk of next year’s bases covered and then some. In fact, I have a few contacts specialized in advertisement who’d be ready to jump into action whenever you’re ready.”

“Brilliant.” Kyle smiled appreciatively and then shifted his attention;

“Miguel and Camille will continue managing and outlining all the necessary budget and legalities for our planned expenses, [Tech Wiz]’s IP rights and the pre-production of the film next year.”

“Roger that.” the duo in question responded confidently.

“As for Owen…” Kyle trailed off as his assistant looked at him expectantly.

“What exactly do you do, Owen?” Kyle squinted at him with a confused gaze, a hint of humor in his tone as Owen’s heart sank in mock offense.

“What’d I ever do to you?” he inquired of his boss with a saddened expression as their exchange drew a hearty chuckle from everyone in the room.

“Well, apart from keeping me up to date on the DLC and [FortMight]’s progress, what’s the planned schedule for tomorrow?” Kyle’s tone soon shifted back into business as Owen straightened up and pulled up his planner on his tablet with poised professionalism.

“Yes. Your schedule tomorrow is as follows…” the assistant began to read off his tab as Kyle listened attentively.

* * *

To say [Tech Wiz] was now a popular IP, was lightly selling it.

19.4 million units of its videogame had been sold, in just two months and a few weeks, accumulating a staggering revenue of roughly $775 million dollars!

And in those same span of months, gamers around the world who owned the game, were still finding new easter eggs, hidden side quests and cool little things to discover in the game.

This made it clear, that the devs of their now beloved SpawnPoint Studio, were geeks, just like them who completely adored the IP itself.

Also, putting into consideration just how much bigger the gaming industry was in comparison to both the film making and music industry combined, the cascade of events that followed were to be expected.

Merch requests for the titular hero, went up, opening up a lucrative market for various merchandising brands.

Multiple fan arts of the [Tech Wiz] universe, was a frequent, if not hourly occurrence on TweetTalk and various social media sites.

Bookstores, distribution companies and various publications, heavily pressed for the increased production of the comic book adaptations of previous volumes due to how high in demand they were.

[Alive] had hit over 350 million streams, and now KickBack Radio, had become a pretty popular but still niche, indie band.

And for Walt Brothers Comics, now owned by Atlas International of course, all these, made them extremely happy.

Lex especially.

Finally, they could make a live adaptation and so much more, off of a fresh new, booming IP.

That was until he realized; the IP rights to his business plans, wasn’t in Walt Brother’s hands anymore.

Rather, Kyle Kestis, the one celebrity whose popularity progressively soared even higher during the Hollywood Strike, and was arguably the instigator of the IP becoming mainstream, held those rights.

Every blessed new comic book adaptation from now henceforth, every single merch done and distributed, every Hollywood Studio who had plans for [Tech Wiz], Atlas International themselves included–– all, required his consultation before they went ahead with any major plans.

At the same time, Kyle was entitled to a cut of all their earnings without fail, although he wasn’t all gung-ho about it to be honest.

This, as one would expect though, was not something that the monopolistic control freak, Lex Alexander Harlow, could, or would, allow.

As a result, he’d purposely sent over his secretary from their headquarters in L.A, all the way to Toronto, Canada, on his private jet to have a discussion et business meeting with Kyle over handing over the IP rights of [Tech Wiz] after they’d scheduled a date for the meeting.

And after Donna had arrived, laid out all the offers, terms and conditions, all of which came with a whopping, $2-billion-dollar packaged deal, Kyle had glanced over to his agent, flicked his gaze back to the secretary and then, with the politest of smiles, gave an unfavorable response.