Hollywood What If

Chapter 24

"Hey, Carl! I heard a story."

"Hm?"

Carl Morin turned as he heard someone call his name. Carl Morin was an agent working under WMA (William Morris Agency). He had few clients, but each one had a good prospect, especially the director he had signed last year. 

"Have you heard about the movie Se7en?"

The agent approached him.

"Yes. I heard about it. That movie is coming out this month, right?" Carl Morin was confused as to why his colleague was asking him about this particular movie. 

"Do you know the screenwriter of this movie?"

"Sorry John, I'm too busy and haven't had time to read the newspaper or anything." He shook his head. 

"It's your ex-client! Kazir Grey! I only heard about it from my client because he is working with Kazir."

Carl Morin was shocked to hear this. He thought his colleague was joking. 

"Judging by your reaction, you didn't really hear it. Anyway, I have a magazine here, there's an article about Se7en."

The agent handed the magazine to Carl Morin.

"..."

Carl didn't know what to say. He walked into a room shared by four agents. A small agent like him had to share an office with other agents, it was a normal thing. 

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As Carl sat down in front of his desk, he opened the magazine and started to read the article about Se7en. 

"That's impossible. I know Kazir, he has no talent for writing a script!"

Carl had been Kazir's agent for three years. When the contract ended, he didn't renew it. Because he felt that Kazir didn't have a good future as a director. 

In addition, Kazir Grey angered the top management after accidentally spilling water on one of the WMA's vice presidents. 

"..."

Carl touched his chin. According to the article, Se7en had a budget of 35 million dollars. There was a chance that it would do well in the theaters. 

"No, that kind of movie has a disadvantage. Se7en is probably an R-rated movie and families with children will never see this kind of movie"

He thought. 

Carl Morin hoped that Se7en would flop at the box office. Otherwise, there was a good chance that he would regret his decision of letting Kazir go. 

"..."

He was in a bad mood all the time when he realized that the egg he had dropped might have been a golden egg. 

"Wow! I didn't expect the movie premiere to be like this! Hey, look, it's Jennifer Aniston."

"Yeah, Reese, I can see her. You don't have to tell me right next to my ear."

It seemed that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt had a good relationship even before they got married.

"I can't help it! I can't believe I can see them so close." She whispered. 

Reese Witherspoon and Kazir Grey attended the premiere of Se7en. They saw Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow walk down the red carpet one by one. They waved their hands to the crowd. 

They were dressed in formal attire. Each actor showed his or her appearance to the public. Especially the actress, they posed well.  

Unfortunately, a screenwriter like Kazir didn't have a chance to walk on the red carpet. Unless he became famous.

Well, I don't like being the center of attention. I like making movies, but being in front of the public is the last thing I want in this job.

After the actors entered the theater, the reception slowly quieted down. 

Kazir and Reese entered the theater through the back door and found their seats. 

"Hey, I heard that this movie didn't get a positive reaction at the test screening. The audience didn't like the movie at all, I'm afraid Brad Pitt will have a problem starring in this kind of movie."

Reese and Kazir overheard the conversation next to them. Reese wanted to talk to the man, but Kazir stopped her by grabbing her hand. 

They might as well shut up and watch the movie instead. 

The movie started and everyone focused on the movie. The classic New Line Cinema opening credits appeared. 

[Note: If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read the ones in parentheses. I watched Se7en few years ago. So I just rewatched the movie summary in YouTube when I was writing this. A bit with chatgpt as well, but AI clearly makes mistakes.]

[The story begins with the introduction of Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman). An experienced detective on the verge of retirement. Detective Somerset is a calm and reflective character who has seen it all. He has become disillusioned with the world.]

"So this is Morgan's role in this movie, as expected. He always plays that kind of gentleman."

Reese frowned as she continued to hear the murmur next to them.

[Detective Somerset's replacement is Detective Mills (Brad Pitt). A young and ambitious officer eager to make a name for himself in the city. ]

"Waahh! Brad! How handsome!"

Reese and Kazir heard a squeal behind them. 

[Note: If you don't want to be spoiled, I recommend you skip this part]

[The two detectives are assigned to work together on a case involving a gruesome murder. Which they soon discover is only the first in a series of murders].

[The killer is targeting people who represent each of the seven deadly sins. Each murder scene is elaborately and twistedly staged.]

"Gueh--!" A faint vomit comes from an audience member as they see the first victim. 

[The detectives begin to unravel the clues left by the killer. As they do, they become increasingly horrified by the brutality and depravity of the crimes.]

[The murders are particularly disturbing. Each one underscores the horrific nature of the sin being depicted.]

[The first murder is that of an obese man who was force-fed until his stomach burst. This is followed by the murder of a greedy lawyer who is forced to cut off a pound of his own flesh.]

[ While the killing spree was going on, Detective Somerset met Detective Mills' wife. Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) told Detective Somerset that she was pregnant. She didn't know how to tell her husband.]

[The third victim is a lazy man who is tied to a bed for a year. The fourth victim is a man who was forced to kill a prostitute, representing the sin of lust. The fifth victim is a proud model who is disfigured with a knife and killed herself by overdosed.]

[The detectives soon realize that the killer, who calls himself John Doe (Kevin Spacey), is making a statement about the sins of mankind].

[Doe is an intelligent and calculating individual who is playing a game with the detectives. He wants to show them the true nature of humanity and force them to face their own sins.]

[Detective Mills and John Doe had a confrontation in the alley. Detective Mills nearly lost his life. But the killer let him live.]

The audience sighed with relief because they thought Brad Pitt was going to die just like that. In this kind of movie, usually one of the main characters has to die. 

[When Detective Mills survived the ordeal. He realized that the killer was actually the reporter who was harassing them!]

The audience gasped as they realized the truth. 

The climax was near. The audience grew quiet as the movie drew to a close. 

[The detectives finally identified John Doe. But Doe surrenders to the detectives instead. There was blood on his clothes, indicating that he had killed another person].

"Is this the end of the movie?" Reese whispered next to Kazir and he shook his head.

Now that John Doe had surrendered, everyone thought the movie was over. 

However, the final scene was still to come. The "What's in the box?" scene...  /Puji_maki