The countdown to the North American release of *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* has officially begun!
Dunn knew early on that *Star Wars* is a huge part of American culture and absolutely beloved.
But even so, experiencing it for the first time still blew him away. It's like… well, imagine the vibe of those nail-biting college entrance exams he'd been through—tense, heavy, and everyone's eyes glued to it.
*The New York Times* chimed in: "After 16 long years, *Star Wars* is making its grand return—51 days and counting!"
*The Los Angeles Times* was all hype: "Get your tickets ready, *Star Wars* is calling your name!"
*The Chicago Tribune* took a slightly softer tone: "George Lucas and Dunn Walker, two genius directors from different generations, have teamed up to bring you a jaw-dropping visual feast.
Mark your calendars—May 19th, *The Phantom Menace* hits theaters nationwide!"
*The New York Post*, meanwhile, tried to keep things chill: "The movie everyone's buzzing about is almost here. With over a month to go, fans are already lining up at theaters to snag early tickets.
It just goes to show the magic of *Star Wars*—but it's also a heads-up for the distributors."
To avoid ticket scalping chaos, 20th Century Fox told theaters they can't open ticket sales until the day before the premiere. If scalpers take over, good luck finding a seat!
Naturally, this ticked off the theater chains, who've reportedly banded together and complained to the National Theatre Association, begging them to negotiate with Fox.
That's all distributor drama, though. Dunn and the *Star Wars* crew were busy with a massive pre-release promo blitz.
By May, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox locked in the premiere location: New York. And the theaters? They got word that during the first two weeks of *The Phantom Menace*'s release, almost every other movie shifted their schedules. Nobody wants to be cannon fodder against *Star Wars*!
Except, of course, two bold players: DreamWorks and Universal. DreamWorks isn't surprising—its three founders are artsy types with nerves of steel. As for Universal, they're banking on *Notting Hill*, a rom-com starring Julia Roberts.
Love stories tend to have long legs at the box office, not relying on those explosive first two weeks like blockbusters do. After the success of *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*, Universal's basically copying Dunn's playbook.
When Dunn heard about it, he just shook his head and sighed, "Poor guys." Not because *Notting Hill* will flop—nah, he feels bad for Universal's rough ride.
Back in the day, Panasonic bought Universal, couldn't make it work, and sold it off to Seagram, a Canadian liquor company.
Lately, Seagram's been on a wild spending spree, gobbling up entertainment companies left and right—movies, TV, music, games, publishing, you name it.
They've morphed from a booze biz into a full-on media empire!
Dunn picking up Marvel recently? That's just a small blip in Hollywood's deal scene. The real headline is Seagram snagging PolyGram, a music giant.
Oh, and there's an even bigger one: media titan Viacom's officially eyeing CBS, one of America's big three TV networks, with a deal that'll top $30 billion, no question.
But here's the thing—Seagram ain't Viacom. Viacom's got the muscle to swallow something like CBS. Seagram, though? It's an industrial company playing in the media sandbox—they're gonna have to pay some tuition first.
After grabbing PolyGram, they might just end up with a bad case of indigestion…
That sparked a wild idea in Dunn's head: "Maybe next year, after pulling out of the stock market, I could scoop up Universal…" Movies are easy for him to make; distribution's the real headache.
The Big Six rule Hollywood not because their films are always amazing, but because they've got a lock on global distribution. DreamWorks cracked North America's market, and even Lionsgate, Miramax, and New Line have their own channels there.
But for a biggie like *Saving Private Ryan*? They still handed it to a giant like Paramount. Why? The overseas market's massive, and distribution costs—plus overhead—are insane. Without enough films, you can't even pay your staff.
After two-plus years in Hollywood, Dunn's figured out the game. Building a new global distribution system from scratch? Nah, he's ditched that dream. Acquisition's the smarter move.
He *needs* to control distribution. And Seagram's potential bellyache might just be his golden ticket to snag Universal—and its worldwide network. Buying Universal? A snake swallowing an elephant? Hey, stranger things have happened!
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As the days ticked closer, the premiere of *The Phantom Menace* finally arrived. It's in New York, but Natalie's swamped with senior year finals and can't make it.
For once, Dunn's flying solo—no lady on his arm. The premiere's dazzling, lights everywhere, turning the theater into the heart of this global metropolis. *Star Wars*' pull is unreal—there are over a hundred cops just to keep the peace!
Dunn zipped through the red carpet. No date, no patience for chit-chat with reporters.
"Hey, Dunn, looking lonely tonight! Want me to hook you up with a cute girl?" He turned, chuckling, "James, since when do you crack jokes like that?" James Cameron's one of the rare good guys in the biz—Dunn's always admired that.
"Not kidding," Cameron said, dead serious. "I really wanna introduce you to someone." Dunn raised an eyebrow, totally thrown. Cameron huffed, "Get your mind out of the gutter! I mean for your movie!" "My movie?" "*Spider-Man*."
Dunn rolled his eyes. "James, didn't you once say you wanted to shoot *Spider-Man* yourself?" Cameron shrugged. "Yeah, but plans change."
Back in the early '90s, after *Terminator 2*, Cameron toyed with making *X-Men* and bought the rights with Carolco. Special effects weren't up to snuff, so he pivoted to *Spider-Man*—bought those rights too.
But script disagreements derailed it, and he jumped to *True Lies* instead. Carolco went bankrupt, superhero rights bounced around, Fox nabbed *X-Men*, and *Spider-Man* landed back with Marvel. Basically, *X-Men* still being stuck at Fox? Totally Cameron's fault for bailing twice!
"So what's your next move?" Dunn frowned. "That ocean rescue project I told you about," Cameron said. "I'm hooked." "Then shoot it!" Cameron grimaced. "You know the saying—never touch the sea or animals in Hollywood.
It's a big ocean flick, huge budget, tough to greenlight." Dunn wasn't thrilled. "Bill's being way too stingy! I told him—hit me up if there's trouble." Cameron smirked, "$150 million minimum. You got that lying around?" "Uh… *cough*…" Dunn waved it off. "So what's your plan? No more movies?" "Bill said if I produce this show, *Dark Angel*, and it works, he'll fund my project."
Dunn scoffed, "Making a blockbuster director babysit a TV show? Only Bill could dream that up." Cameron shook his head. "He's got his reasons. After *Titanic*, sea shoots freak everyone out."
Dunn grinned big. "How about this? You direct *Spider-Man*, and tell Bill to shove his *Dark Angel*!"
Cameron laughed. "He'd lose it—especially after you gave *Wedding Crashers*' distribution to Tom Rothman." Dunn winced. Yeah, that was a bit of a jab at Bill Mechanic.
"Business, not personal," he muttered. Cameron roared, "Fine, let's mix business and friendship then." "What are you getting at?" "I told you—I've got a girl to recommend."
Dunn was lost. "James, what's the deal?"
Cameron grinned. "I'm not doing *Spider-Man* anymore, but I've kept tabs on it. Isn't the lead a young woman, like 20-ish?"
"Ohhh," Dunn got it. "You're pitching an actress?" "Yep." "Cool, I can't promise the lead, but she'll get a role." To seal the deal with Endeavor Agency, Dunn had promised Ari Emanuel the lead for one of their clients.
With Marvel now his and Emanuel's help locking in the execs, he's gotta keep his word.
"Trust my eye, Dunn. She's got serious potential." Cameron was dead serious.
Dunn couldn't help but tease, "James, you and her…?" "Stop!" Cameron groaned, exasperated. "Don't lump me in with your antics!" Dunn cracked up—Cameron's flakiness is a flaw, but his integrity's rock-solid.
"Alright, spill. Who's this girl who's got you swooning?" Cameron glared. "She's the lead in *Dark Angel*, the show I'm producing." "Name?" "Jessica Alba." Dunn's jaw dropped. "Huh?!"