Hollywood What If Chapter 589
Angels & Demons was a movie distributed by Sony-Columbia. Sony-Columbia was also part of the production of the movie, together with Imagine Entertainment, Skylark Productions, and other production studios. The whole Robert Langdon trilogy was produced with the cooperation of these production studios.
There were reasons why some movies were involved with multiple production companies. Some movies wanted to lessen the burden of financial risks by having two or more studios investing. Some production companies also had specialties such as marketing, funding, and distribution.
In this case, Sony-Columbia probably took the job of distributing the movie and perhaps invested a share of the overall budget. As for the specifics, it was unsure.
The film Angels & Demons, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, was the much-anticipated sequel to The Da Vinci Code. The two movies were recognized as controversial because of the topics they tackled. Perhaps it was one of the factors why The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were successful at the box office.
The Da Vinci Code grossed over $760 million.
Angels & Demons grossed over $541 million.
Obviously, Sony-Columbia had a reason to celebrate the success.
"... So here I am, attending a celebration of an open-air party," Kazir muttered to himself while looking around.
The atmosphere buzzed with excitement, and the party was glamorous. Champagne, fancy dishes, and ambient lighting set the tone.
Kazir recognized some celebrities, such as Tom Hanks and many more... Tom Hanks was famous, so it was not surprising that Kazir easily recognized him. However, Kazir decided to stay in the corner of this open-space party and let the others have fun. He knew that he was not the star of this party. He greeted Tom Hanks but didn't strike up a conversation. The two were not close.
Kazir Grey received a personal invitation, courtesy of Sony-Columbia. Sony-Columbia had been trying to talk to him about a possible collaboration regarding 21 Jump Street. Kazir was the one who wrote the script for this upcoming project.
Though Kazir's main focus had been family and home recently, Sony-Columbia valued him as both a director and scriptwriter. Of course, they sent an invitation with the hopes of rekindling their relationship... Sounds gay, to be honest.
Kazir's films continued to bring in profit, and Spider-Man alone was still earning money from DVDs and merchandise. No wonder Sony-Columbia was interested.
Walking through the open-space event, Kazir exchanged polite smiles with executives and offered firm handshakes to fellow directors who also attended the party.
He wasn't here to network, but it never hurt to be seen. Scarlett had stayed home to rest, and he promised not to stay out too late.
As he moved toward the refreshment table, he suddenly noticed a strong, majestic presence.
Surrounded by a few bodyguards stood none other than Michael Jackson. The King of Pop looked thinner than Kazir expected. Michael was in formal attire, a suit with his hands covered in gloves.
Kazir was surprised as he didn't expect to meet this legendary figure at this party. In fact, this was the first time Kazir met Michael Jackson in person. He then realized that Sony and Michael Jackson entered a joint venture and created Sony/ATV Music Publishing a few years ago.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing owned catalogs of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Eminem, Akon, Shakira, and many more.
In a way, Michael Jackson attending a party managed by Sony was not surprising, even though Michael Jackson was more active in the music industry than the movie industry.
The movie industry and music industry were two different things, and only a few times did they collaborate. These two industries had their own circles, and it wasn't surprising if actors and music artists rarely interacted with each other... Perhaps they could interact at certain parties, such as the freak-offs and island paradise... You know what I mean.
Anyway, Kazir was surprised to see Michael Jackson. It was an understatement that he was star-struck.
He recalled that in many concerts that Michael Jackson did, the audience would faint and lose consciousness because of his presence alone. Now Kazir understood why.
Kazir wanted to introduce himself. This was a rare opportunity.
Michael Jackson saw Kazir approaching and extended a gloved hand. He offered a soft smile.
"Kazir Grey, right? I've seen your movies. My favorite is Napoleon Dynamite."
Kazir blinked.
"I'm honored. I grew up listening to your music."
Michael nodded slowly.
The two had a conversation. It lasted half an hour before Michael excused himself to talk to one of the executives of Sony.
Kazir realized that he might have overstepped, but he couldn't help it. He was happy to meet Michael Jackson. He liked Michael's music, so he wanted to talk to him, simple as that. No one could deny that Michael Jackson was an amazing music artist. Even his voice had strong originality. Almost anyone could recognize his voice because he was super famous.
In fact, many people in the whole world might know Michael Jackson but not Michael Jordan. His worldwide fame was out of this world.
People might not know who the current president of their country was, but they surely knew who Michael Jackson was.
I'm happy to meet Michael Jackson in this life.
Contemplating, Kazir suddenly realized a shocking truth.
"Wait a minute, today is July 2, 2009."
In his past life, Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. It meant that Michael Jackson was supposed to die eight days ago, yet the King of Pop was still alive and kicking.
"...Did I just save Michael without knowing?" he asked himself and was elated by the fact. It seemed that his interference in the timeline changed another person's fate. This time, a positive one.
He recalled their conversation earlier.