The Tyrant Billionaire

Hardy recounted Matilda's story again, this time much more detailed than the night at Meyer's Park.

Taylor laid on Hardy's arms, listening intently.

She realized that everything she had seen these past two days could be translated into the film characters. Mr. Hardy had taken her out with genuine care.

The girl looked up at the man.

Her gaze lingered.

It wasn't until the evening that Hardy took Taylor home. Taylor waved goodbye and walked into the villa. Sarah noticed that Taylor seemed a bit low spirited. Yesterday, her daughter had come back full of energy and mischief. What happened today?

Sarah was a bit worried.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Sarah asked.

"Mr. Hardy took me to the slums today. I saw many poor children there, some fighting over a piece of bread. It turns out Matilda from the movie really went hungry." Taylor said.

Hearing her daughter's words, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

She had thought Mr. Hardy had done something to her daughter, but it turned out he just took her to the slums.

Sarah patted her daughter's head and comforted her. "Life has its ups and downs, so we have to work hard, right, Elizabeth?"

"I'm going upstairs to take a shower."

"Go ahead."

After Taylor showered and put on her pajamas, she curled up in bed. The real reason for her low spirits wasn't something she had told her mother. She was frightened by the thug who had been killed.

It was her first time witnessing someone being killed. Mr. Hardy had said he had killed over 30 people. Just the thought of it made him seem so brave, and lying in Mr. Hardy's arms felt really safe.

Thinking that Mr. Hardy couldn't visit her tomorrow because he had an appointment with director Hitchcock and MGM boss Meyer to discuss the script and confirm the shooting details, she felt a little disappointed.

There were so many expectations.

She wondered if she could get the role of Matilda.

The next day, Hardy went to the film company.

The two screenwriters were already there and handed him the script immediately upon seeing Hardy.

"Mr. Hardy, the more I write, the more I feel this story is fantastic. I believe the film will be a big hit," one of the screenwriters said.

"This film definitely has the potential to impact the Oscars," another unnamed supporting screenwriter chimed in.

After reading through the script, Hardy felt it was quite similar to what he had in mind. The main issue was that the outline was too detailed, and these two guys were basically just perfecting it.

"Not bad, make five copies for me," Hardy said.

The two screenwriters took the script to find someone to copy it. Hardy picked up the phone to contact Mr. Mayer, the boss of MGM.

"Hardy, come to my mansion for dinner tonight. I've invited Hitchcock and the head of the production department to review your script together."

"Okay, Mr. Mayer."

Hardy arrived again at Mayer's grand mansion, this time with fewer guests around. The vast estate seemed very quiet.

Hitchcock and MGM's production head, Hans, were also present. It wasn't dinner time yet, so the three of them started reading the script together, and the room filled only with the sound of pages turning.

Mayer set the script aside. As the big boss, he only needed a general idea to see if the story was exciting.

Hans was the next to set it down.

Hitchcock took the longest time to read.

Mayer looked at both of them. "What do you think of this script?"

Hitchcock spoke first. "I heard the story outline before, but now that I've read the script, it's even more interesting.

The love story between the girl and the middle-aged assassin.

How she was seeking revenge for her parents and finally the lonely assassin's sacrifice by detonating the bomb at the end.

I can buy into it, and it has the potential to impact the Oscars."

"Now, Hans, what do you think?"

"This is an urban film, there is no need for elaborate sets. Just find a suitable location in the slums. I estimated the costs, excluding actor fees, to be within 1.7 million."

Mayer looked at Hitchcock and Hardy. "Who do you think would be suitable to star in this film and draw a large audience?"

Hitchcock looked at Hardy first. "Since this is your script, who do you envision for these roles?"

Hardy didn't hesitate. "For the girl, I think Elizabeth Taylor would be good."

Hitchcock furrowed his brow. "I know the girl, but I feel her demeanor is too different from Matilda's. I'm concerned about her ability to interpret this role. You have to understand that, in this entire film, Matilda is the real star."

"I've been training Taylor these past few days. I know what Matilda is like. I believe I can mold Taylor into that person."

The others in the room understood.

Hardy was specifically aiming for Taylor and had already begun training.

"And for the male lead, who do you think would be suitable?" Mayer asked.

Hardy smiled. "It might be better for Mr. Mayer and Director Hitchcock to decide. You should be able to find the most suitable candidate."

The discussion turned to male actors, comparing them one by one for suitability. Among them, Gary Grant is currently the most famous and has the strongest box office appeal.

Gary Grant was 41 this year and fit the standard for a forty-year-old man, but his fee was also the highest, around $300,000 per film.

"Hardy, how about Grant for Leon?" Mayer asked.

Choosing Grant would benefit MGM the most, as he was their contracted actor, and MGM could take a third of his fee.

Elizabeth Taylor was also an MGM contract actor, but her fee was much lower, estimated at only $10,000 to $20,000.

After some thought, Hardy agreed that Grant, who ranked second as the "greatest actor of the century," was indeed suitable for Leon's role.

"I think Mr. Grant should be able to handle the role of Leon."

Next up was the director, naturally Hitchcock, with a fee of $200,000. For the role of the corrupt cop, they just needed a familiar face, estimating a fee of $50,000.

They also discussed Elizabeth Taylor's fee, highlighting the importance of her fame by placing it after the supporting roles.

Initially, Mayer planned to offer $30,000, but Hardy suggested $50,000, which Mayer eventually agreed to. Taylor's contract was a 40/60 split, with MGM taking sixty. With Taylor's high fee, MGM would earn more.

The film also involved dozens of other supporting roles and extras, totaling an estimated $900,000 for actors' fees, bringing the total to about $2.6 million.

"Hardy, let's base it on $2.6 million. How much do you plan to invest?" Mayer asked.

The investment would naturally correspond to the shares.

"How much are you planning to keep?" Hardy asked.

Mayer was reasonably confident in this film. "How about this? MGM will cover $1.6 million of the production costs, and you will contribute $1 million. We'll discuss screening and promotional costs later."

"Okay," Hardy agreed readily.

Mayer was very satisfied with this collaboration.

Hardy provided the script and retained the rights to choose the female lead, leaving almost everything else to MGM.

MGM's actors, MGM's director, MGM's production team, MGM's studio, and they would handle the production, distribution, and release.

The film hadn't even started filming, but MGM was already making a profit.

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