Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood

Being an A-lister also came up with a lot of pressure. Aiden didn't see a path full of roses from here. 

He was already walking on a path filled with thorns since the beginning. Now, he felt like a few demons were also flying above him, ready to take him down as soon as he made a mistake. 

So, the pressure was way higher now. 

He had just delivered the biggest hit of the year and his career but the question was what's next. 

A lot of stars would falter here after giving a big hit, many of them would go on to give a few flops before landing another blockbuster. Or they might hang onto a role that became popular, doing a lot of sequels. 

People might not remember actors but they always remember good and memorable characters. 

But in the case of Aiden, there were no plans for Kai to make any return. 

He was dead. 

His story was over and none of his other characters had been so memorable that people would want to see them again and again. 

So, his next project became even more important keeping that in mind. 

He had read through a lot of scripts and had a couple of narrations by different directors but nothing really struck him as something that he had to do. 

There was no feeling that this particular project would become iconic or at least do great at the box office because it provides something new. 

He understood that too as most things have already been done to death. So, doing something new every time was not easy. 

The strange thing with Aiden was that he had his skill to tell him which script was good and if he took the word of his skill, over half of the scripts that he saw were very good. 

Most have a score that was above 70. 

But Aiden had long since started to rely more on his senses. He just took the script score to know the quality of the movie as the score didn't mean the movie would be good at the box office. 

The only movie idea that had struck him as something he should try was the rom com idea from Red Ant studios. Even then, he wasn't entirely sure. 

That's why, when Ava texted him to meet to discuss a project, he didn't hesitate to go straight to her office. 

"You came here extremely fast. Were you just waiting for my call?"

"I was free."

"I thought Hollywood's newest A-lister would be extremely busy. It seems like it's not true."

Ava said as Aiden took a seat. She had not seen him for a long time even though both of them lived in New York. 

The last time was a screening for [The Black Saint] and after that, he had gotten too busy to contact her. 

"If any of us is truly busy, it's you." Aiden said, looking at her. "I heard your stature in the company had increased due to recent successes."

Ava just smiled at that and after some minutes of small talk, they started talking about the main topic. 

"So, what is this project you called me to talk about? Is this the one you told me before?"

"No, it's not." Ava gave a light smile to that and Aiden looked a bit disappointed. "It's still not a small project. Actually, it's pretty big." 

Aiden looked in interest when Ava said that. 

"What is it about?"

"You know of <Hex>?"

He thought about it for a second hearing the familiar word. It was a word that had originated from Germany and was normally used to refer to witchcraft. 

But Ava was obviously using it in a different sense. 

After a while, he finally recalled what it was. 

"The famous novel by Mackie Mile. The author died while writing the last volume and his son finished it. The novel is very famous in talks as a lot of people wonder about what could have been if the novel was finished by the original author."

"Have you read it?"

"I did. It's an excellent adventure novel set in a pretty great world with a lot of original mythology."

It was actually one of the best works he had read in its genre. The writing is simple and easy to read — A reason for its popularity — and the storytelling is at its best with no dull moments. 

The best thing about it was still the power system that used devices called hex. 

"What of it?"

"It's been in development at our studio and was given the greenlight in the first quarter of the year."

Ava said and she could see that Aiden's interest in it was piqued. He knew the story of it and how it was a great novel to adapt. With so many fans of the novel still around, the movie would easily be a hit if they don't mess it up. 

"Who's leading the project as the director?"

"Olio Fermen."

Aiden widened his eyes hearing that. 

Olio Fermen was an Oscar winning director but he had not made a movie in years after scandals of a bad work environment surfaced. 

Apparently, the man was a hassle to deal with and didn't like people interfering in his vision. He also pushed actors beyond their ability to get the best work out from them. 

In one word, working with him was very toxic and although Aiden had never heard that he assaulted any actor, he had arguments in practically every one of his movie shootings. 

There was a reason studios are hesitant to take him up and actors don't want to work with him. 

"I really wonder if that's brave or stupid." Aiden muttered. 

"He had a clear vision of what he wanted to do with the source material. He respects it a lot and you do know there's tons of individuals who look down on things that have an abundance of source material."

In Hollywood currently, a lot of writers have come under online hate after reports of them looking down on the novels and video games they were adapting. 

Egos would come in the way and they would ruin it, trying to make something better when fans don't want that. 

Many people feel like fanfic writers would do a better job at being true to the source material. 

If you don't respect the source material, it's better if you don't make something out of it. 

A popular fantasy novel's live action adaptation was ruined just because of this. And the writers even came out saying that they hated the novels and wanted to create something better. 

"He already has a script?" Aiden raised an eyebrow. 

"He completed it two years ago. It's not the first time he pitched his idea. Apparently, he tweaked it a lot after the project got the green light."

"So, you are the executive producer on it?"

When Aiden asked that, Ava shook her head. She seemed a bit hesitant for a moment before opening her mouth. 

"The project is being developed under Alberto Dundley."

"The guy who opposed me a lot during the screening for [Action Hero] and looked at me like I had eloped with his wife."

Ava laughed and nodded her head. Alberto was that rude and bitter guy. 

"He's close to Olio Fermen and only because of him, things were able to go ahead but he hates me. And because of that, he probably hates you too."

Aiden didn't have to ask about the reason behind that. Most people in the industry already knew that he and Ava were close, especially after the success of [Action Hero]. 

"It means he's surely not going to like it if I try to audition for the movie."

"Yes, he won't."

"And you want me to audition for it so you could indirectly get control on the production and keep Alberto in check."

That was Aiden's guess as he knew that Ava was extremely business minded on everything she sought to do. 

But to his surprise, she looked at him with confusion. 

"No, I think you are going in the wrong direction there."

"What?"

He tilted his head and Ava explained. 

"I didn't call you here to get you to be a part of some scheme. I knew that you would be looking for good projects and thought that this might be the perfect one for you. I did it because we are friends."

Hearing that, Aiden wasn't able to say anything for a while. He realised that he had gotten too used to the schemes and complexity of Hollywood that he forgot that there were things outside of it. 

"I'm sorry."

He immediately said when he realised his mistake. 

"It's fine." Ava smiled. "Like I told you before, we are friends. I know that our relationship started as a way of helping each other but it's not entirely based on business right?"

"I know and thanks."

Aiden simply said that and the talk went ahead on the project.