Hollywood What If Chapter 517
While Alexa Nguyen was busy fixing the Iron Man suit, she heard that a small commotion was happening. She left the dressing room and saw some people murmuring.
"God, I hope I get his autograph this time! I heard that his autograph can be sold for $10,000. I even heard that the spoon he used at the cafeteria was sold for $50,000! Can you imagine that!?"
Alexa furrowed her brows as she listened. She wondered which celebrity would show up. She had read the cast list and already met most of them.
She had seen Terrence Howard. The actor was a celebrity through and through, and Alexa didn't dare talk to him, he was unapproachable.
As for Gwyneth Paltrow... Alexa was scared of her.
Aside from Tony Stark and Jeff Bridges (the antagonist of Iron Man), Alexa hadn't had any interaction with the cast. Her job was to design the armor suits for Iron Man and Iron Monger. She was a costume designer.
"Gosh, I want to meet him. I heard he's so super handsome even though he's in his late 30s. I'd ride that hot body despite the age gap--!"
Alexa heard one of the young female makeup artists squeal in excitement. She became curious about the person they were talking about.
Suddenly, the conversation stopped and a tall man walked into view. It was Director Kazir Grey.
Kazir, along with his four bodyguards, Erica included, showed up at the Iron Man studio.
Alexa was surprised. She was a big fan of Director Grey! Just like the others, she admitted that Director Grey exuded strong sex appeal to the opposite gender. It didn't help that he was tall, handsome, and fucking rich.
Kazir walked through the hallway and saw people greeting him. He had no idea who they were since this crew was mostly under Jon Favreau's team. Jon Favreau was the director of Iron Man. He was also part of the cast. He played Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's bodyguard.
Kazir stopped walking when he recognized an Asian woman.
"...Are you Alexa Nguyen?"
"Yes? Ah, yes! Yes, that's right!" Alexa was surprised that Kazir recognized her.
"If I remember correctly, we met at the dinner party after the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 2 a few years ago."
"That's right! I was one of the lucky fans who got the chance to meet you after the premiere."
Alexa was so excited that she smiled.
"So, you're also working in movie production."
"I'm the costume designer for Iron Man."
"Wow, that's amazing."
Alexa slightly blushed.
"Well, since I also work on the MCU, perhaps we'll meet again." Kazir excused himself and his entourage followed.
Once Kazir was gone, the people around Alexa started interrogating her about how she met the director.
"Autograph? Yes, I have an autograph from Director Grey from a few years ago. No, I'm not going to sell it." She answered their questions as best she could.
......
...
...
Kazir was sipping tea... He had decided to stop drinking coffee and go with a healthier lifestyle. He was influenced by Scarlett and Stella Willow.
He was reading some documents related to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. He glanced at Stan Lee, who was sitting across the table.
"At first, I was skeptical of your decision, but based on what I've seen, Robert Downey Jr. fits the role of Tony Stark perfectly. I'm glad we followed your recommendation."
"Stan, just like you, I want the MCU to succeed."
"Of course."
Robert Downey Jr. went to prison because of drug-related crimes. He was arrested several times during his career. After that depressing arc, Robert had a hard time finding work in Hollywood.
His role in Iron Man was his first big role in years, and he didn't want to mess it up. He signed a contract stating that he wouldn't touch drugs while working on Iron Man, which would last for a year. Also, if he was involved in any scandal that could negatively affect the movie, he would have to pay damages. It was a tough contract, but Robert signed it nonetheless.
"What about the other cast members?"
"Well, Gwyneth Paltrow is nice. She's playing her role right. As for Terrence Howard, he's also a great actor, no, he's a fantastic actor... But I have a feeling that he'll ask for a higher salary in the next movie," Stan Lee sighed.
Kazir remained silent.
He had been against casting Terrence Howard. He knew what happened in the original timeline. Terrence didn't appear in the second movie due to a dispute, and Don Cheadle was recast in his place.
However, due to management disagreements, connections, and social networking, Terrence Howard was cast. It didn't help that Kazir had been busy with The Dark Knight when the decision was made.
20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios held a grudge because they didn't like that Kazir was working with DC, so perhaps this was a silent protest or act of treason... Now the production would suffer because of that decision.
Kazir looked at the documents and saw that, despite being the protagonist of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. only received a salary of $500,000.
Terrence Howard received $3.5 million.
Gwyneth Paltrow received $750,000.
Jeff Bridges received $2 million.
See the difference? Despite being the face of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had the lowest salary among the four.
Since Kazir knew that Iron Man would be successful, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary would likely quadruple, at the very least... As for Terrence Howard, the actor would definitely not settle for less.
Kazir had an idea of what was going to happen. He bitterly smiled.
'If there's any good news, it's that this problem can be fixed since Marvel Studios managed it in the original timeline.'
Still, it was painful to see Kazir fail to prevent this issue. He did his best, but at the end of the day, some decision-makers were simply against him. Not everyone liked Kazir.