A New Hollywood Mogul 3 Dynasty!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Hello folks!

After the Golden Scribes, I went back and reread my nominated dynasty for Hollywood Mogul 3, and then of course I moved to reread my one from the second game. All of these were years ago. The game has since been patched, and databases have been created for some elements (not all, though).

I decided to d/l the game again, along with the databases, and take the game for another spin. This is an homage to both of my previous dynasties, and I will be reusing various elements from them all. It may also homage my dynasty from The Movies a bit as well. Are you ready? Let’s go!

[Abe Sargent]

The downfall of the media conglomerate saw the downfall of the US economy. These giant monsters had purchased radio stations, cable networks, magazines, book publishing, movie studios, newspapers, and video game companies. What they had successfully done was consolidate all major entertainment media into a few hands. As their net worth skyrocketed, the companies began to move into more markets – amusement parks, major internet websites, and more.

However, these big giant companies quickly realized they were in the wrong time. As the Internet moved at a pace they could not outbuy, more and more websites became popular. What was once hot ground became yesterday’s old site, as people continued to flock to newer and flashier sites created by individuals instead of companies.

Amazon led way to Unicorn and Facebook led way to Grok and eBay led way to BiddersRUs. Each of these websites began to see their traffic move on to others. Meanwhile, the revenue sources of the conglomerates began to dry up. Comics, magazines and books were past their sell by date. Newspapers were virtually a thing of the past. Movies were becoming passé, and the spiraling number of cable stations prevented any from getting major revenue. While a few properties remained economically viable (such as ESPN), many were losing money in several areas.

When Time Warner announced the closing of Time magazine, from which it gained its name, people knew that times were changing.

They were too big, and everything was moving too fast. In order to stay relevant, the major conglomerates began doing what they had long been accused of. They began working behind the scenes in cohort with bribed government officials and politicians. They controlled the major media outlets, and made sure reporters did not do any sniffing. Money poured into coffers in order to ensure that these handful of companies would stay on top of the heap. There were crackdowns on other startup companies, and large fees were distributed to the companies as subsidies.

However, the companies failed to keep their grip on one major media outlet. The Internet had grown so large that it was unable to be purchased. It was unable to be bullied. A mole deep inside Viacom was the first to break the Vegas Accords. These documents recording meetings held in private by all of the conglomerates in Las Vegas showed the illegal activity occurring. At first, they were dismissed by all major media outlets, but the dam had been broken.

Within a month, two blogs and two major independent sites had confirmed the Vegas Accords with other documents they had uncovered. E-mails and text messages were released to the public. Once it started, the major news companies had to follow suit and investigate themselves (although they usually found their company innocent of charges).

The death of this mass conspiracy was the victory of the Internet and the people over the companies and corrupt government officials. Elected officials that had been defeated by these dirty deals and dirty money suddenly became rock stars, and were easily elected anew to a variety of posts. Mass resignations and recall elections ensued, as over 25% of Congress was found guilty of bribery and corruption.

In the waning days of the teens, the first bill aimed at breaking up the companies was passed. Others soon followed, using a variety of anti-trust laws new and old to destroy the conglomerates. However, the damage done to the economy was massive. Just as the debt service from the US became too much to bear, the entertainment economy collapsed as the various component parts of these companies went out of business or exchanged hands. During a year and a half, physical companies were sold to new private investors – and new hands were suddenly in control of everything from Disneyworld to ESPN to DC Comics to Facebook.

This mass transition was tough on the economy as people were laid off or fired, and the many loans and debt saw bankruptcy. Loaning institutions lost a lot of money, and many of them had to fire people. Similarly, industries as varied as news, sports, education, and engineers were out of jobs or severely hit. Why pay for cable, if many of the networks are currently out of service? Therefore, all of the people at call centers, laborers working the lines, and technicians working the network were hit.

As the economy’s nosedive continued, the US saw a major way out. They passed a new currency – the credit. This was the world’s first virtual dollar, and it had no physical representation. This would enable the debtload to be reduced, and also lowered inflation significantly. It also greatly increased government’s ability to control the economy. A variety of economists applauded the move as the reason that the US economy got quickly back on track.

By 2023, many new companies have formed, purchased the infrastructure of the old conglomerates, and begun work. The economy has largely recovered. As a result of what Americans lost, there has been an upswing in books, magazines, tv shows and movies (but not newspapers, which honestly look like they are gone forever).

[Abe Sargent]

Latest Anti-Aging Drug Works
Yourbody.com

May 21, 2019 - The field tests are done and the approvals are in. Since the dawn of time, people have sought to extend their years. Now the first licensed drug is available which can do just that.

How does it work? Aging works because DNA loses a few pieces of information every time a cell undergoes mitosis. What this simple little pill does is add a little bit of that information back to your cells. It slows down signs of aging, such as wrinkles and grey hair.

All it does is slow things down. It does not eliminate aging, nor does it prevent death. It simply slows things down a bit. This is more than we have ever had before!

The drug is promised to be out by the end of the year. Due to the life changing effects of this pill, the price is expected to be massive. It needs to be taken daily to work. As such, it will only be able to be afforded by the very wealthy, such as CEOs, major business executives, athletes, and actors, actresses and so forth. It probably won’t be until a generic can be made that everyone will be able to acquire the drug.

In order to find out more information about this drug, its technical information, side effects and company information, please click here.

[Abe Sargent]

Startup Company Wants to Make Big Pictures
TheNOW.net


After spending some time locking in financial backers, Centurion Studios has announced that it will be opening its doors this month. It’s is the 8th movie company to move in and set up shop in the real estate where the former media moguls ruled.

CEO James Essex has a background in management in sports, and has used his contacts in that world to set him up as the newest person to try to grab a piece of the entertainment real estate. After agreeing to a quick interview with TheNOW.net, Essex was quoted as saying that he, “(W)anted to see if real movies could be made. Since the conglomerates would release braindead films in order to make a quick buck, intelligent and moving films were light.” Now, Essex wants to, “(S)ee if we can’t make the films people have always wanted to see.”

Apparently he has assembled roughly a billion credits as seed money to start Centurion Studios. He has announced that they have already begun reviewing material to acquire for making pictures.

Would you like to see more about Essex’s sports background, including information on his jobs and successes? Click here for a database we’ve compiled.


This article is copyright 2023 by TheNOW.net, the place to find all of the news that’s NOW.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s take a look at original scripts. Perhaps there are a few I can grab and immediately start out as projects.

The 1st thing I do is purchase 8 5 star scripts. I take a look to see what I suspect will be my first film to make.


One of the things I am looking for is a quick turnaround. How long is production expected to take?


I have a courtroom in a post-apocalyptic society. Interesting. It’s called Angry Truth. I want it to resemble the groundbreaking episode of the first season of Survivors called Law and Order. (In that episode, a post-apocalyptic society must decide how to deal with a murder in their group – what standards will they use, and how will they find who is responsible?) I think that’s a good spin for this script.

We are filming in LA. It’s costs a bit more, but the pre-production will be just 3 months.

I took a bit to remind myself how to use the game. Here are my castings:

Shia LeBeouf for our lead. We needed someone gritty and dramatic. His total contract, including
ancillaries, is roughly 10 million.

Playing the role of his buddy is Patrick Fugit, who is making less than 100k. I just wanted someone cheap, who could do the part well.

Cast as the villainess, for roughly 2.2 million after everything is Rachel Weisz. I needed someone who could be mean and fierce. I think she can totally pull that off.

Finally, as the major support, I cast Jennifer Connelly, for roughly the same as Rachel. She’s needed to be a bit daffy and sweet.

Now I need a director and producer. I hire Steven Soderbergh for 3.25 mill after perks. I hire producer Vik Pakson for 550k total.


We have officially started pre-production on Angry Truth.

[Abe Sargent]

Another 5 star script I purchased is Lightning Strikes. It is a horror/stalker film where a strike of lightning blows out the electricity at a small rural desert town, and a mysterious stalker uses the opportunity to start killing the residents. It has comedy undertones.

Shot in LA. 9 months to move through the system. Because it has some significant pyro scenes, I up our pyro budget to the max and greenlight the film.

I hire Ryan Gosling in our lead, hero role. 1 mill
Buddy role, needs to be heroic – Terrence Howard for 2.5
Villain needs to be angry, conniving, and a bit older – Kyra Sedgewick, 600k
Billy Crudup and Rufus Sewell round out our major supporting roles for a total of 700k
I had my assistant auto hire the minor parts, and they went to – Eliza Dushku, Michelle Yeoh, Shea Wingham, Anson Mount and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
For director, I went with the able Jonathan Demme for almost 1 mill
For producer I went with the capable and undercosted Angela Saccone for 450k.


We start pre production.

[Izulde]

Feminist Ryan Gosling in a horror spoof. Nice.

[CrimsonFox]

Hmmmm I can definitely see Shia LeBeouf and Patrick Fugit together...

but Michelle Yeoh in a minor role in a horror comedy? What?

[Abe Sargent]

Costs for my two films –

Angry Truth will run us 31 mill for negative and 98 for everything
Lightning Strikes will run us 26 for negative and 87 mill


I decide to greenlight one more 9 month film: When a Latin Lover Gets Loved. It’s a suspense/comedy

For director I went with Mike Newell of Harry Potter fame. This seems up his alley. 775k makes him mine.
For producer I rolled with Maria Ramsey for 400k. She seems pretty good for her price.

I needed a sexy, capable dramatic lead. I decided to rock Ethan Hawke, for 1.8 mill
His buddy is William Sadler for 100k
A conniving angry villain was hard to cast. I found a few 5s, but none were interested. Neither were a bunch of 4s. I eventually went with William Fichtner, for 200k
Geoffrey Rush and Helen Hunt round out our major supporting roles for 2 mill total

I auto cast some minor roles, and they went to Mos Def, Vincent Cassel, Robert Carlyle, and Delroy Lindo.


I greenlight it for pre production. It will cost 21 mill for the negatives, and 84 mill for everything.

[Abe Sargent]

Feminist Ryan Gosling in a horror spoof. Nice.

Thanks! I try....

[Abe Sargent]

Hmmmm I can definitely see Shia LeBeouf and Patrick Fugit together...

but Michelle Yeoh in a minor role in a horror comedy? What?

My assistant hired her, what can I say?

[Abe Sargent]

Before I move to the next month, let’s take a look at what properties are available for sale. (Some databases are included that represent real world things, and some are not)

For example, TV Shows are a real database. I purchase the move rights to:

The Prisoner
Smallville
Doctor Who
Degrassi Junior High

Not everything I would want is here (Such as Xena), but this is a good start.



Storyline for Dr. Who:

Traveling to his personal future, the Time Lord discovers that he is not alone, and that he is not who he believed himself to be.

Title:

Dr. Who and the Sands of Time

After making a ton of changes, it will take 32 months to get a script.


The Prisoner

It will take 12 months to finish this script


Smallville

A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallvile.

It will take 14 months for the script to be done

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s also do some scripts of my own.


The Battle of Blair Mountain

Historial/Drama

After the continued denial of rights and safety to miners by government, mines, and media, the miners finally rise up in the largest civil uprising in US history.

Bill Blizzard, 35, Male, Lead Heroic – diff 85
Frank Keeney, 30, Male, Buddy, Friend, Tough, diff 65
Don Chafin, Villain, 40, Male, Self-Righteous, Nasty, diff 70
Ed Mooney, Support, Male 32, Support, Average, Diff 45
Mother Jones, Support, Female, 60, Lead Heroic, Diff 90

One Baldwin Felts Gun Thugs and two Miners round out our minor roles.

No nudity, but lots of action, drama needed in various actors, and stunts and pyro effects.

I order a screenplay written for 15 months and roughly 3 million, and I send it out now.

[Abe Sargent]

Jagged Alliance

Action

Two political enemies unite and hire a band of mercenaries to free their island nation from the grip of a tyrant bent on exploiting the island's resources and people.

Gus Tarballs, Lead, Tough, 50, Male, 70 diff, 2 stars of stunts
Louisa “Buzz” Garneau, Buddy, 30, female, 30, Bad girl, sexy, 60 diff, 2 stars of stunts
Deidranna, Villain, Cruel, Aggressive, 50, female, no stunts, but some make up
Ivan Dolvich, Lead, Tough, 35, Male, 50 diff, 2 stars stunts
Miguel Cordona, Support, fierce, 40, Male, 50 diff, 2 stars stunts
Kyle “Shadow” Simmons, support, intimidating, 50 diff, male, 35, 3 stars
Monica “Buns” Sondergaard, support, 32, female, 50 diff, average, 2 stars stunts
Cynthia "Fox" Guzzman, support, sexy, 28, 40 diff, 2 stars stunts
Ice Williams, support, off-beat, 35, diff 50, 2 star of stunts, male
Cameo – Enrico Chivaldori, fierce, 40 diff, male, 40



Everybody lives. Everybody save Miguel, Deidranna, Enrico and Fox are needed for a sequel.

I know, I’m using the plot from the 2nd game, not the first. Sue me!


It will take 14 months to write

[PurdueBrad]

Let’s also do some scripts of my own.


The Battle of Blair Mountain

Historial/Drama

After the continued denial of rights and safety to miners by government, mines, and media, the miners finally rise up in the largest civil uprising in US history.

Bill Blizzard, 35, Male, Lead Heroic – diff 85
Frank Keeney, 30, Male, Buddy, Friend, Tough, diff 65
Don Chafin, Villain, 40, Male, Self-Righteous, Nasty, diff 70
Ed Mooney, Support, Male 32, Support, Average, Diff 45
Mother Jones, Support, Female, 60, Lead Heroic, Diff 90

One Baldwin Felts Gun Thugs and two Miners round out our minor roles.

No nudity, but lots of action, drama needed in various actors, and stunts and pyro effects.

I order a screenplay written for 15 months and roughly 3 million, and I send it out now.

Oooh, ooh, I know the end...the wolves win!

[CrimsonFox]

Before I move to the next month, let’s take a look at what properties are available for sale. (Some databases are included that represent real world things, and some are not)

For example, TV Shows are a real database. I purchase the move rights to:

The Prisoner
Smallville
Doctor Who
Degrassi Junior High

Not everything I would want is here (Such as Xena), but this is a good start.



Storyline for Dr. Who:

Traveling to his personal future, the Time Lord discovers that he is not alone, and that he is not who he believed himself to be.

Title:

Dr. Who and the Sands of Time

After making a ton of changes, it will take 32 months to get a script.


The Prisoner

It will take 12 months to finish this script


Smallville

A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallvile.

It will take 14 months for the script to be done


If you make another American movie version of Dr Who and I'll cut you!

[Abe Sargent]

January 21, 2023
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex I

Hello and welcome to an interview with a local son who has recently been in the news. He is James Essex, CEO of Centurion Studios. James has just started his own studio in, and has begun a project that will be dear to our hearts.

Yesterday, he announced work on a new project, entitled "The Battle of Blair Mountain." As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia.

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the seminal event in the Mine Wars and one of the largest civil uprisings in American history. In 1921, thousands of miners armed themselves and marched to Logan County demanding the resignation of Sherriff Don Chapin, a corrupt official bribed by coal mines.

We were able to grab a virtual interview with James, and he is here to take our questions. James, we love debuting you and your company here at AHNet!

James: Thanks, I love spending time with fellow West Virginians.

AHNet: Why were you so interested in the Mine Wars and the Battle of Blair Mountain in particular?

James: This is the key pivotal event in labor history in America and one of the key moments in understanding the nature of government, private industry, fair practices and how far people will go to protect corruption and how far others will go to bring it down.

AHNet: The elements of the Battle seem to lend themselves to the silver screen. You have clear good guys, clear bad guys, sweeping issues, and more. Why do you think it was never made until now?

James: Hollywood was run by big companies and the Battle cannot leave you with a warm feeling for big companies when you leave. Obviously, you can't pretend that the coal companies are analogies for today's studios, but I think executives feared that the comparison might be made anyway.

AHNet: Why do this story, then, if that is a concern.

James: Well, just because it is a concern for some companies does not mean it is a concern for me. I do not fear my audience and I do not seek to give them the lowest common denominator entertainment.

AHNet: Does this connect with you wanting to bring real West Virginia to the screen.

James: Absolutely. Understanding the spirit of the West Virginia people is important for me to express. Maybe even vital for me to do so.

AHNet: Well then, thank you for your time!

James: Hey, I'm always happy to be here, you know that!

[Abe Sargent]

Oooh, ooh, I know the end...the wolves win!

Ruf!

[Abe Sargent]

If you make another American movie version of Dr Who and I'll cut you!

Look who's trying to be funny! ;)

[Abe Sargent]

February 7, 2023
[url]www.LinkET.com[/url.]

Centurion Studios Boss Essex Greenlight Three Projects

In an attempt to jumpstart his fledgling studio, James Essex has purchased three original screenplays and authorized all three in less than a month. No script was rewritten.

The screenplays were deemed good enough, and Essex moved on through greenlighted a budget and casting all three scripts. When interviewed earlier today, Essex responded, "We are comfortable with the current version, so there is no need to go through several dozen rewrites, we'll just go with the initial author's vision."

Insiders believe that this is an attempt to put Centurion Studios on the map sooner than its colleagues did. After all, this is the 8th movie studio to rise out of the ashes of the Vegas Accords. Many of them took years to release their first films and Killer Studios, the third to form, took two and a half years. None of the four previous studios took less than seventeen months to release their first film, but Essex has grand plans for his studio.

The first script to be greenlit was a fantasy story that should begin shooting some time in June. The other two scripts, a horror movie and a bio-pic should begin shooting in July.

Casting saw several virtual unknowns getting large roles in the films, and some experts wonder if that will end up being a smart cost cutting role or a sacrifice of free marketing in the name of economy.

LinkET will promise to keep you updated as these stories develop."

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE


Centurion Studios, a studio dedicated to producing smart and provocative films, announced that they purchased the move rights to several intellectual properties. These properties will allow Centurion to more easily achieve their objective of crafting movies that will last, and that you will want to watch over and over.

These properties included tv shows and a video game. The game is Jagged Alliance. This game series saw a rough band of mercenaries try to bring democracy back to the island of Arulco after being taken over by a tyrant. The other four properties are Doctor Who, Degrassi Junior High, The Prisoner, and Smallville.

We believe that these represent the some great properties that will be wonderful when brought to the silver screen. Four of these projects have already bent sent out to script.

Centurion is committed to quality movies and will continue to scour all available material for suitable entertainment for our minds and souls.

[SirFozzie]

Bah. 20 posts in and nobody has welcomed you to Hollywood yet? :)

[Abe Sargent]

Not yet, and I'm okay with that!

[Coffee Warlord]

WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD!

Now. I want a leading role with 10% of the grosses.

[CrimsonFox]

GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(There I said it, someone had to say it...)

[Abe Sargent]

End of January

An agent comes to me with a project already to go. It’s a film called The Bottom Line, a Teen Comedy. He has stars already lined up – Helena Bonham Carter ,Will Smith, Ashley Judd. It has 5 star dialogue, 2 star intelligence, 4 star plot twists, 2 pace and 5 for its genre elements. It had a minor director and producer attached as well.

I don’t want to release anything that’s not that smart, but this project is ready to go. All I have to do is find some supporting roles, and pay it. I will be spending 49 million on the negative (largely off the cost to hire Smith) and 126 total for everything.

After consideration, I decide to do it. It will take 9 months total to complete, and it will be interesting to see what a Will Smith film will do in the box office.

Several actors and actresses are announcing that they will not be a part of New Hollywood. These people have retired – Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Olympia Dukakis, Gena Rowlands, Rip Torn, Frank Langella, Alan Arkin, Phillip Baker Hall, Morgan Freeman, Peter O’Toole, Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, Ian Holm, Donald Sutherland, and Albert Finney.

I round out the project with Emily Blunt, David Krumholtz and Paul Dano.

I also pay 4 million for Will Smith to do some songs for an R&B and Hip-Hop soundtrack for the film.

The Bottom Line has begun pre-production.

[Abe Sargent]

WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD!

Now. I want a leading role with 10% of the grosses.

You'll note I didn't respond! :)

[Autumn]

a Teen Comedy. He has stars already lined up – Helena Bonham Carter, Will Smith, Ashley Judd.

I'm not sure this guy is too good at casting ...

[Abe Sargent]

Yeah, I'll take care of that later.

[Abe Sargent]

I want to greenlight another 5 star script I purchased:

Lonely Fingers do a Dance

Adventure/Comedy

Set in Africa, filmed in Mexico – very cheap, adds time to the production

We make this a vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio. He will cost 22 mill. Everybody else is cheaper – Ryan Reynolds, Eric Bana, Zhang Ziyi, Robin Tunney and Zoe Tapper. The total for all of these people combined is 4.3 million.

Director was close, but I ultimately went with the Coen Brothers for 3.2 and for producer I went with Howard Pillow for less than 500k.

I order it to pre-production. It will take 13 months to finish. 62 mill for the negative, and 138 mill total. (Special effects and Leo’s salary are the major costs there

[Abe Sargent]

I also greenlight:

Love Hunting
Disaster/Comedy

9 months to finish (done in LA).

I decide to hire Robert Zemeckis as my director for 2.2 million. He was really interested in the project.

For producer, since we have SFX, I went with a more expensive one who’s good with it – Bess Komie, 850k

I cast Adrian Brody as the sweet, dramatic lead. 2.5 mill total
1.8 mill got me Casey Affleck as his buddy, and need to be simple
2.6 mill for the villainess and angry/conniving Kate Winslet
335k for Zooey Deschenel who dies in the film, sweet friend
2.1 mill for Javier Bardem, an offbeat friend.


I greenlight the film for production. 53 mill cost for the negative, and of that only 8ish is for talent, and the rest are production costs. 128 mill for the total release (marketing, prints, blu-ray, etc).

[Abe Sargent]

Last month, we acquired tv shows for IP. This time, let’s mine literature.



I’ll walk you through one of these in detail, just to see every decision I make.


The Call of Cthulhu

I wrote a quick storyline:

As Wilcox tries to deal with strange dreams, he begins to uncover layer after layer of truth hidden behind the world. His spiral into madness culminates with a discovery of cataclysmic proportions.


I add this to the storyline.

I choose Horror as the genre, since none of the subgenres seem to match (Horror has the following subgenres – vampire, werewolf, zombie, witches, stalker, slasher, teen scream, monster, ghost, supernatural or evil.). For secondary genre, I go with (Dark? Myth? Fantasy? Science Fiction?) Myth.

I choose to leave the era as present day. I choose World Domination as what’s at stake, it’s the highest one (some stories should have higher stakes, but they are not available). Primary audience is men 36 to 50, and secondary audience is men 18.35.

The location will be Greenland, New Orleans, and the Pacific. I go with North America, Small City as development and dense forest (since swamp is not available) as terrain.

The script starts with stars up to 3 with the script. I make these changes:

Int 5
Plot Twists 4
Dialogue 5
Pace 4
Genre Elements 4

I remove any love scenes. I jack up violence to 3 stars and leave foul language at one.

Story scope is jacked up to five stars.

I remove robotic effects. I jack up set construction and sfx to four stars each. I leave pyro at 3 stars.

I move the story ending to ambiguous

I do not add any additional villains (which are things like weather, animals, etc). I add a fishing boat as an extra setting.

Main character – Henry Anthony Wilcox is given as his name. I move the difficulty to 95. He does live, but he is not needed for a sequel. I make him an eccentric nerd. The talent focus will be on drama. No stunts, make up, or nudity is required for his role.

The next character is Inspector Legrasse. I give him an 80 difficulty, and a lead, intimidating part. I set the age at 35. (Same as Wilcox). He lives, and is not needed for a sequel. His talent focus is more action. (He’s fighting in New Orleans, and I’ll give him fighting in Greenland).

The third character is given a difficulty of 70. Gustaf Johansen. He is a 40 year old lead, tough. Talent is action. He dies, and is therefore not needed for a sequel.

George Gammell Angell is a supporting character, a professor who dies early on, and spurs on Wilcox’s investigation. He had learned too much. Difficulty 50, dies, drama role, 60 years old, support and crazed.

Finally, in order to give the audience another bad guy to focus on in the early stages of the film, we will be upgrading a character to the limelight – Old Castro, one of the primitives who is defiling the local area in New Orleans will give the audience a bad guy to focus on for the first half of the film.

Difficulty 70, barbaric and nasty, 50 years of age, needs action and drama, dies, not needed for sequel.


There are no significant minor support roles.

Those characters with an action role are given two stars of stunts

Okay, we get the project started. I hire a writer to prepare the script. One is defaulted to, and I choose that person. It will cost 3.75 mill and take 15 months.

[Abe Sargent]

I also move on a few other literary works:



A Canticle for Leibowitz


After the destruction of much of the Earth, an order of monks tries to keep knowledge alive until humanity can use it again.

Sci-Fi/Apocalyptic

Set in future

Isaac Edward Leibowitz, heroic nerd, 40, drama, diff 90
Brother Francis Gerard, 30, lead eccentric, drama, diff 70
Monsignor Apollo , villain, 45, cruel, average 65 diff
Brother Kornhoer, supporting, 30, diff 45, support, simple
Dom Jethras Zerchi, supporting, 35, lead, heroic, diff 65, action


We need sfx for the first war, and the last segment of the film, which sees a lot of technological advancement and fighting. Everybody dies except for Zerchi, and no one is needed for a sequal.

15 months, 3.75 million for the script.

[CrimsonFox]

Look who's trying to be funny! ;)


Seriously! That turd was sooo bad it really was the nail in the coffin of the series. It took what, 15 years before people got the taste out of their mouth before they'd do another dr who series?

Hmmm Call of Cthulhu. This makes me think your character is a student filmmaker :) (Around here you can't through a muffin without hitting a student that tries to make a cthulhu movie...yet doesn't know a thing about horror)

As for restless fingers doing a dance.... icky ;)

[Abe Sargent]

Seriously! That turd was sooo bad it really was the nail in the coffin of the series. It took what, 15 years before people got the taste out of their mouth before they'd do another dr who series?

Hmmm Call of Cthulhu. This makes me think your character is a student filmmaker :) (Around here you can't through a muffin without hitting a student that tries to make a cthulhu movie...yet doesn't know a thing about horror)

As for restless fingers doing a dance.... icky ;)

Nothing about Latins Lovers being Loved, eh?

Trust me ,we'll make Cthulhu huge. We'll give it the budget it needs. In HM2 dynasty it was the highest grossing film of all time, and since I want to remake some of those films here, plus other new ideas, we ARE going to do, and everyone else be damned!!!! :)

[Abe Sargent]

Lucifer’s Hammer



As a comet gets closer to the Earth, people's lives change, until the impossible happens.


Sci-Fi/Apocalyptic – Action


Set now

Harvey Randall, 38, lead, heroic, drama, diff 80, lives, needed for sequel.
Maureen Jellison, 30, love interest, friend, normal, diff 65, lives, needed for sequel, drama
Rev. Henry Armitage, villain, 40, action and drama, dies, diff 60, self-righteous, aggressive
Senator Arthur Jellison, lead, 55, diff 60, drama, Lead, heroic, dies
Prof. Dan Forrester, support, diff 70, 50, nerd, eccentric

Minor roles:

Mark Czescu, friend, 35, tough, 40 diff, action, lives, needed in sequel
Marie Vance, friend, 35, fierce. 40 diff, lives, needed in sequel

Nature is an additional villain (when the Hammer strikes, there are tidal waves, earthquakes, etc.)

A farm is a primary setting


Same length and cost as the above two screenplays

[Abe Sargent]

I also send out Degrassi JH.

I remove nudity, change the strength of the script, change the audiences to teens, remove love scenes but keep one star of violence and 2 stars of foul language. I remove stunts.

It will take 20 months to write after I made a ton of changes. The initial characters were all adult age (yuck).

[Abe Sargent]

February 21, 2023
Lovecraft.com

"Cthulhu Movie Rights Purchased

Today James Essex, head of Centurion Studios announced the purchase of his first major acquisition. As of today, the Lovecraft Estate and Centurion Studios have entered into a partnership to create a movie based on H.P. Lovecraft's seminal work, The Call of Cthulhu.

The agreement allows Cthulhu to come to the screen for a nominal price with an extension possibility to other of Lovecraft's works if needed for a larger fee.

Obviously, if you are reading this, you are a fan of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. You know that there has never been a major studio production of a Lovecraft story that has done the original material justice. In fact, many movies are so far from the original story that the only connection with Lovecraft is the title.

With that concern, we virtuadialed Centurion to get a little more info, and James Essex agreed to a quick interview with us! Without further ado, here's James:

James Essex: Hello all

Lovecraft.com Rep: We are amazingly glad to have you here. Why did you choose this work as your first adapted story?

Essex: Well, I wanted something unusual. I didn't want to rehash the same source material over and over again. There's only so many ways you can tell and retell Lost or Star Wars or Zorro before they become old. I dipped into my adolescence when Lovecraft was one of my major discoveries that led me to deeper and more interesting works. Before I read Lovecraft, I was reading hack novels, written and put out for the masses as a form of escapism. They didn’t challenge me. After Lovecraft, that all changed.

Rep: What can you tell us about your plans?

Essex: If you mean, "Am I going to ruin it?" the answer is no. I have no intention of desecrating such an important story in the development of horror as a genre. In fact, I intend to tell the story as good as I can, with some minor alterations meant for the screen of course.

Rep: When a fan hears that, he grimaces. What do you mean?

Essex: I'm a fan as well, remember. *laughs* Lovecraft did not write his story for the screen, and any interpretation to a movie would have to go though some changes. For example, there are too many characters with solo acts in the story. The narrator, the uncle, Wilcox, Legrasse, that professor at the convention who went to Greenland who I can't remember and, of course, Johansen. That's six characters the story is told from at different points. I cut out three. The narrator, the uncle and the professor. I combined Wilcox with the narrator and the uncle still dies, but we never see anything from his vantage point, thus eliminating the need for six stories being shown.

Rep: So you are making Wilcox a normal person?

Essex: He's not even close to normal. Look, the major elements of Lovecraft are here. The story is not about spooks and goblins but about the advancing psychological and philosophical horror of discovering a world that doesn't even notice you and your species exist.

Rep: A very good point. Thank you for joining us.

Essex: Of course. Obviously the writing will take some time, probably over a year, but I expect the end result will be well worth it!"

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE

Centurion Studios and CEO James Essex announced today that they have optioned the classic sci-fi novel "Lucifer's Hammer" for the big screen. Lucifer's Hammer was written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle in 1977 and details a coming comet that hits the Earth and the resulting impact.

CEO James Essex was quoted as saying, "What distinguishes Lucifer's Hammer from similar disaster stories is that it focuses, not just on individual people, but also on the aftermath and survival of the old world. Too many apocalyptic movies end in the disaster or the prevention of the disaster. Too many post apocalyptic films start after and go from there. We'll tell the entire story as does Niven and Pournelle."

Centurion Studios is dedicated to quality in film-making, including the production of intelligent and provocative films. This classic novel should provide ample material for a movie that fits Essex's vision.

[CrimsonFox]

Just downloaded HM3 and gonna check it out. Looks fun.

[Abe Sargent]

AllThingsToronto.ca

February 27, 2023

As we told you last month, fledgling movie studio Centurion Studios had purchased the movie rights for a show that is dear to the heart of all people in Toronto. Degrassi Junior High was an epic show that was filmed and produced right here!

This month, we found out that the Studios have sent the project to script. It should be some time before we see results, so keep your light pens tuned to AllThingsToronto for more information as we come across it.

[Abe Sargent]

Just downloaded HM3 and gonna check it out. Looks fun.

Awesome!!!


Or should I say...Welcome to Hollywood!

[Abe Sargent]

March:

I reject a pitch by an actress. I get another by an agent. Let me look. I say no to that too.

My competitors are buying projects.

I am competing against:

El Dorado Pictures
Roehrig Studios
Global Pictures
Boston Pictures
Super Studios
Hails Pictures
Burbage Studios


Other retirees: Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Ellen Burystyn, Maggie Smith, Shirley Maclaine, and Dustin Hoffman.


I greenlight a 5 star script:


Couldn’t it be True

Detective
Comedy

I sign all of my talent to sequel terms if we make 300 m

Director Danny Boyle, 900k
Producer Jerome Sashburn, 150k
Lead, action, Brandon Routh, 1.1 mill
Love interest, action+comedy, Jennifer Garner, 9.3 mill
Villain, Megan Fox, action, 400k
Supporting, friend, Radha Mitchell, 235k

55 million total for negative, 133 for everything.

We ship it to pre-production.

[CrimsonFox]

retirees? *laugh* Michael Caine NEVER says no to a paycheck :)

[Abe Sargent]

I now have 7 projects in pre-production. Let’s make it 8.

I greenlight Hot Tamales.

Drama/Business
Comedy


Set it in a backlot at 80% of cost. No speed increase either.

My hires:

Dir. David Lynch, 1 mill
Prod. Chris Idyll, 300k
Lead, Clive Owen, 3.3 mill
Love, Anna Paquin, 450k
Villain, Guy Pierce, 1 mill
Friend, Claire Danes, 750k


Preproduction has begun

[CrimsonFox]

Hmmm this thing is tough. Can you spare a post to tell me what to do? I figured out how to start projects but from there it seems like only hit words that are green because they are buttons.

[Autumn]

I also send out Degrassi JH.

I remove nudity, change the strength of the script, change the audiences to teens, remove love scenes but keep one star of violence and 2 stars of foul language. I remove stunts.

It will take 20 months to write after I made a ton of changes. The initial characters were all adult age (yuck).

I would love, love, love to meet the original screenwriters on this property. They must be some interesting people.

[Izulde]

I would love, love, love to meet the original screenwriters on this property. They must be some interesting people.

Sounds like something Andy Sidaris would make, actually.

[Abe Sargent]

Yeah, they missed on the market for sure! But we fixed everything and everybody is happy!

[Abe Sargent]

Hmmm this thing is tough. Can you spare a post to tell me what to do? I figured out how to start projects but from there it seems like only hit words that are green because they are buttons.

I'd be happy to talk about it! Everything you can do in the game has a help Red Book button beside it to tell you what it is except a few things, like pay or play contracts for talent and some stuff like that.

So, let's look at writing a screenplay.

You have to determine genre and sub genre, animated or live action, your primary and secondary audiences, where and when it's set, what the quality of the script will be, what the story scope, set construction, pyro effects, robotics, and sfx needed will be. How may extras. Violence, love scnes and language are needed. how much stunt work is required.

Then you have to input your characters, and choose age, role, whether they have nudity, stunts, implied love scenes, how difficult the role is, how old the character is, are they needed for a sequel, how much make up need, are they playing a human or something else, what is the talent focus - action, drama, comedy, or something else, etc. Then choose an ending - tragic, thought-provoking, upbeat, ambiguous, etc. Once you've done all of that, save it, and then move to your current projects list and open it up and send it out for a script.



You can also purchase already done scripts, or get ideas from plays, movies, tv shows, comics, novels, and lots of other places. You can send that idea out for a write, and if you change details, it will take longer to do a modified script. Purchasing already completed scripts is what I recommend starting with. Then all you have to do is budget, choose locations, cast, and green light it.

[Abe Sargent]

Anyway, our next project:


Coupling


After Steve and Susan hook up, life is full of hijinks, love and sex for each of their group of six friends. But mostly it’s just about sex.


Romantic Comedy

Target audiences are male and females 18-35

Lots of love scenes and foul language (3 stars each), no violence.

No effects needed of any sort.

What is at stake? Marriage, and how Steve can avoid it as long as possible while still staying with Susan.

Lead, Average 32, difficulty 70, Steve Taylor, comedy role
Love Interest, Susan Walker, 32, difficulty 70, comedy role
Major Support, friend, Jeff Murdock, 30, wacky, 95 diff
Support, Friend, Jane Christie, 30, sexy, 80 diff
Support, Friend, off-beat, Sally Harper, 32, 70 diff
Support (Minor), Patrick Maitland, 32, 60 diff, friend, simple

All are needed for a sequel.

An additional villain is the ticking clock, as Steve and Susan’s relationship continues, and the automatic countdown for marriage scares him.

It will come back in 15.

[Abe Sargent]

Flatwoods



After a sighting of an alien monster in Flatwoods, WV, things begin to get more mysterious as law enforcement arrives

Sci-Fi


Lead – National Guardsman Gene Lemon, the first person to arrive at the scene who was not a member of the May family, his experience becomes the biggest one of the story. Lead and heroic, 20 years old, Diff 96, action role
Buddy – Kathleen May, the mother of the children who first witnessed the aliens, and who went with Gene Lemon to investigate after hearing what they saw. 36, heroic, friend, diff 63
Villain – The Flatwoods Monster. 40, male, alien, conniving and normal, diff 72
Support – A. Lee Stewart – journalist. Fierce, support, diff 53, age 40
Support – Sheriff Robert Carr – age 45, lead, tough, diff 88

I left the diffs alone.

14 months, 3.5 mill

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE


Centurion Studios and CEO James Essex announced today that they have optioned the BBC comedy “Coupling” for the big screen. This show, written by Steven Moffat, became one of Britain’s biggest hits.

CEO James Essex was quoted as saying, "What makes Coupling so attractive is how the writer completely plays with the medium as much as possible, finding new ways to show things on screen. We will try to do the same thing in this film."

Centurion Studios is dedicated to quality in film-making, including the production of intelligent and provocative films. This classic BBC series should provide ample material for a movie that fits Essex's vision.

[Abe Sargent]

March 14, 2023
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex II

Hello and welcome to another interview with the former West Virginian, James Essex, CEO of the newly formed Centurion Studios. After announcing a project in January regarding a historical event that occurred in West Virginia, we interviewed him.

Yesterday, he announced work on another project, entitled "Flatwoods." This movie is aimed at telling the story of the Flatwoods Monster and sighting. As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia.


We were able to secure another virtual interview with James, and he is once again here. James, we always love having you here at AHNet!

James: Thanks again, I always love revisiting my fellow West Virginians.

AHNet: Before we get started with Flatwoods, can you give us an update about the Battle of Blair Mountain?

James: It’s still in the script writing stage, and will be for some time.

AHNet: Fair enough. Let’s talk about Flatwoods. Why this film?

James: I spent my first few years of life in Sutton, where my dad was the preacher at a local Baptist church. I know the area, I know the people, and I know its history. This seemed to be a natural incident to take to the stage. We’ve seen many films made from the sightings of aliens, from The Mothman Prophecies to Fire and Ice. This seemed like a natural addition.

AHNet: Speaking of the Mothman, any plans to make another version of it?

James: It’s certainly the most well known weird story from WV. Coming up with a new way to tell the story is certainly on my radar.

AHNet: How closely will the film follow the actual sighting.

James: The actual sighting will be as close as we can come. After that, we’ve modified some people for the silver screen, and some responses by the community, the region, and the nation.

AHNet: What about the special effects?

James: I want to do everything as well as possible. The Monster is a special looking critter, and we’ll be using an actual actor to represent it. We’ll need a lot of CGI and robotics to do the monster, the space ship, and other elements of the story.

AHNet: It seems like we are running out of time. Thank you very much for agreeing to a return interview!

James: I'm always pleased to talk about my home state!

[Abe Sargent]

End of March


Hails Pictures wants a partner for one of their films. I take a look.

No bid after looking at it. I think they are throwing way too much money at a film with poorly chosen actors.

Three of our films have moved into production – Angry Truth, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved and Lightning Strikes


Anthony Hopkins retired



I greenlight Fearful Dreams

This thriller is a 5 star script, but will take a while to complete.

It’s very expensive, so I get a bunch of stuff ready (SFX, Robotics, Pyro, Stunts).

Time for casting

It took forever to find the love interest part. Anyway, here is my talent for this thriller:

Dir. Chris Nolan, 3.7 mill
Prod. Vince Peyer, 160k
Lead. Ryan Gosling, 1.15 mill
Love. Olga Kurylenko 310k
Villain. Benicio Del Toro. 2.5 mill
Friend. Elijah Wood, 1.1 mill
Support. Audrey Tautou. 940k

Minor Roles:

Emilie de Ravin, Mika Boorem, Debra Messing


Total cost will be 85 for the negative, and 188 for everything else.

I make a nice soundtrack with major artists, and we already made a bit of money off licensing.

[Young Drachma]

what a throwback game. forgot how much fun it was.

[CrimsonFox]

Put Dark Cloud in one of your movies. That'd be a hilarious movie.

[Abe Sargent]

Heh, no thanks. I want to sell movies, not lose money. :)

[Abe Sargent]

April 4, 2023
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex III

Hello and welcome to yet another interview with man with West Virginia in his blood, James Essex, CEO of Centurion Studios. After announcing two projects in the past three months that are set in West Virginia, he has announced that he will be doing a third, and bringing to the movie format, for the first time ever, the story of John Henry in “Steel Drivin’ Man.”

This is in addition to films on The Battle of Blair Mountain and the Flatwoods Monster. As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia.


Yet again, we were easily able to secure a virtual interview with James, and he is here for us a third time. James, as always, welcome to at AHNet!

James: It’s always fun to be here!

AHNet: Three West Virginia movies in four months? Why is that?

James: I’ve spent a lot of my life as a writer and I know one very basic thing. You write about what makes you passionate. Then your writings will simmer with that love you have. They will have a life of their own. I believe that is true about making movies. Choosing projects about which I have a passion is part of making interesting movies.

AHNet: Wow, what a nice perspective. Does that mean we can expect to see more films set in WV?

James: Absolutely

AHNet: Any updates on the first two scripts?

James: No, none. I suppose you have to ask that question every interview? (chuckles)

AHNet: Of course! (laughs) You have caused a bit of controversy about your next film. Tell us about it.

James: Well, the controversy boils down to one man. Two cities claim him. One is in WV and the other deep in the south. One points to a historical man named John William Henry, who was leased to work on the C&O railroad. The other, from Alabama, claims that a man named Henry who worked the nearby Columbus and Western is the real John Henry. We are obviously taking the perspective of the first. There is more historical evidence pointing to the WV/VA placement of John Henry than down south. It won’t make Alabama happy, but that’s okay. Come and see the film anyway, Alabama!

AHNet: Why this story?

James: There is something in the John Henry story that’s truly special. It’s man versus machine, in one of the oldest examples of that motif. It shows the replacement of the best workers by the mechanical, and the fight against what isn’t just. Labor and management, liberal and conservative, atheist and religious have all taken important messages away from the John Henry story. That’s a powerful story. I’m surprised that it never became a big movie, especially during the 20-30 years or so when Hollywood was constantly trying to find movies about Black people’s history and what they did prior to the civil rights movement in America. This seems like a natural fit for that time, but we never saw it. Now we will correct that flaw.

AHNet: There’s a lot of great stuff here again, so once again, we thank you for your time!

James: It’s my pleasure.

[Abe Sargent]

Steel Drivin’ Man

As a steel machine is brought in to do the work of him and his men, John Henry must fight the fight of the ages.

Biography
Historical

Set in 1880s

No special effects, love scenes or violence. 2 star foul language. 5 star pyro (explosions in mountain) and 2 star robotics. Heartbreaking ending.

Lead – John Henry, 35, Lead, Heroic, 90 diff, dies, drama
Buddy – Cephas Daniels, 30, friend, diff 60, innocent, drama
Villain - Mr. Benton Greaves III, 45, mean, fierce, diff 60, drama
Support - Anabell McCauffrey, 25, nice, support, diff 40, drama

I create a couple of minor roles too, to represent workers.


3.5 mill, 14 months


End of April


Robert Duvall has retired. Love Hunting and The Bottom Line move to production.

I purchase the rights for a recent short story called Cave Girl. This romantic comedy is sent out immediately for a script with not changes – 1 mill and 4 months.
I greenlight a 5 star original script Horror/Monster film called On Foreign Soil, set in Australia. I head there to film.

Time for casting:


Dir. John Singleton, 1 mill
Prod. Arlen Savant, 150k
Lead. Ethan Hawke, 1.8 mill
Love. Rebecca Romijn, 300k
Villain. Jude Law. 4.2 mill


No other parts.

It will take 14 months, we begin pre production.

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE




Centurion Studios and CEO James Essex are proud to announce the acquisition of the movie rights for the Isaac Asimov short story, “Nightfall.” This landmark science-fiction short story has often been hailed as the best short story in the genre of all time.

Nightfall documents what happens to a people in a star system with six suns, with one always above, making the planet and civilization in total light. Then, all six suns set in a rare occurrence and darkness falls for the first time in millennia.

The story is remarkable due to its understanding of psychology, sociology, and philosophy. It studies the people under these conditions, when the suns that have always been there set.

Although the story has had elements used for several previous movies, it has never been fully adapted, with an eye to retaining the essential plot and character elements that define the story’s greatness.

Centurion Studios is dedicated to bringing quality movies to the theaters. This is the latest project that is anticipated to continue the tradition of intelligence and provocation that comprise the twin pillars of DDS’s goals.

[Abe Sargent]

Nightfall

Sci-Fi


Lead, Beenay 25, diff 80, 35, lead, heroic, drama
Love, Siferra 89, 35, friend, eccentric, diff 60
Villain, 40 age, self righteous, nasty, Leader of Apostles of Flame, diff 65
Support, Sheerin 501, support, off beat, 40, diff 50.
Support, Theremon 762, 30 years old, 50 diff, support and fierce
Minor, Athor, 60, nerd, wacky, diff 50

All have drama roles. Villain also has action too.


Ending is a tragedy as cities burn and upheaval has begun.


15 months, 3.75 mill

[vols21]

how long before some of your projects reach the theater?

looking forward to see how they do

[Abe Sargent]

It depends on several factors. Where are we filming? Do we have any sfx? What about set construction? The smallest amount of time a film can spend is nine months. That's long enough for three months each in pre-production, production and post-production. That includes real life things such as making costumes, picking places to film, hiring staff like make up and casing minor bit parts, the actual filming, editing, doing sound, setting up robotics, and more. Some film genre,s like drama or romance, tend to have quick turnarounds because not much goes into making them. Other genres can have huge turarounds.

And that's after the script is ready. For all of these projects I'm purchasing and creating, I have to write the script first.

[Abe Sargent]

“Stormbringer” Sees Newest Fantasy Franchise Brought to Silver Screen

Abigail Winters
ETOnline


Hollywood has had a love-hate relationship with fantasy movies for a long time. There have been a few times when fantasy movies with a cult following and B grade status enjoyed some fandom (Conan: the Barbarian is a great example). Most fantasy films have been aimed at children in order to do well. Examples of family fare include Willow or the Harry Potter series.

Then a certain Lord of the Rings came out and changed things. Epic level, high end fantasy films were in. While most fantasy films were still b grade level (or worse – see The Dungeons and Dragons movie), there was space for more.

However, most franchises that were still picked up for moviedom were oriented towards the children, often ignoring adults. Compare The Golden Compass, and A Series of Unfortunate Events with the serious take of Lord of the Rings to see the point.

Now a studio is willing to try a more adult oriented fantasy series out, with the Elric of Melnibone series. One of the first anti-heroes in fantasy, Elric is not you stereotypical fantasy work. He is weak, relies on his soul-sucking sword for energy in combat, and casts magic spells.

It will take a while to see what happens with this film, but for now, another studio is trying to find the next major fantasy franchise.

[Abe Sargent]

Stormbringer

As the only person from his decadent society with a vestige of a conscience, Elric, 428th Emperor of Melnibone, voyages out to find his place, ultimately finding the greatest sword ever created.


Fantasy
Dark

5 stars across the board
4 stars of violence, one in love scenes, none for foul language.

Set construction 5, sfx 5,no robotics needed, average pyro

Ambiguous ending


Lead – Elric of Melnibone, diff 90, non-human, lead, intimidating, action and drama required, lives, needed for sequel,
Love Interest - Cymoril, diff 70, non-human, drama, 35 years old, cousin and consort, bad girl, fierce
Villain – Yyrkoon, 30 years, diff 70, non-human, drama and action, conniving, nasty, brother of Cymoril, 2nd in line for throne, wants to kill Elric, marry his sister, and re-establish the old ways Elric began to stop. Powerful sorcerer.


There are no other major characters in the first film. By the end of the first film, Elric has found Stormbringer, returned to Melnibone at the head of an invasion human army, and then attacked and kills Yyrkoon, who is wielding Mournblade, but not before Yyrkoon grabs his sister and flings her onto the tip of Stormbringer, thus killing her and devouring her soul.

There are several minor human roles, in the army.

All three major characters need 4 stars of make up, and the villain and Elric need 3 stars of stunts. 3.75 mill and 15 months to give me a script.

[Abe Sargent]

End of May


We get Boston Pictures looking for a partner. I take a look see.

No desire for it at all.


Two movies enter production – Hot Tamales and Could it be True.


Excerpt from "ETOnline” News in Review, May 23, 2023


...And in other news, Centurion Studios announced that they have acquired the movie rights to Hugo Winner for best short story in 1988, "Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers."

The short story follows a young worker who realizes that many different species of aliens, humans, and other dimension hoppers visit the Hamburger Stand after hours because in every dimension, the one constant is Harry's Hamburger Stand in Flatwoods, WV.

The project has been sent for a script, and we'll keep you up to date as this project continues.

[Abe Sargent]

Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers


After a teenager realizes that visitors from other dimensions are frequenting his diner after-hours, he must make a choice to feed or stave off his wanderlust

Science Fiction/Time Travel

(It’s not really time travel, but that’s the best way to put it)

Coming of Age is at stake


No love scenes. I keep the one star in violence and language.

No robotics, special effects to 4 stars, no pyro


Lead, 17, normal, lives, needed for sequel, no name is story, given name of Adam Foster. 75 diff.
Support, 45, Harry, 55 diff, average, not needed for sequel
Buddy, Sid., male, 20, friend nice, not needed for sequel, 50 diff
Support, Joe, 50, diff 50, not needed for sequel, off beat,



15 months, 3.75 mill


I have 30 scripts in the queue, and that’s the most I can have.

[Abe Sargent]

I greenlight the only script I’m sitting on, a 5 star action film called Oil Me Up.

War

All are signed to a 200 million sequel contract.


Dir. Doug Limon, 1.75 mill
Prod. Harriet Aborman, 300k
Lead. Ben Affleck, 2.7mill
Love. Kate Beckinsale, 3.5 mill
Villain. Hugh Jackman, 11.6 mill
Support. Shia LeBeouf, 11.7 mill


I order a five star rock soundtrack, major Blue Ray release, and a major marketing campaign.

The entire thing will cost 300 million to make, with 150 the cost of the negative with the special effects, casting, and everything else.

We begin pre-production

[Abe Sargent]

End of June


Several projects have advanced.

If you’ll recall, I purchased a few projects and sent them out for a quick script. Two are back this month – Last Quarter and Getting Retired

Lonely Fingers Do a Dance has moved to production.

Three films finish production – Angry Truth, Lightning Strikes, and When a Latin Lover Gets Loved

I add some things to each of them, such as Blu Ray extras and a bit of marketing.


Let’s produce Last Quarter


A girl with a miserable life meets a mysterious man named, Adam who seems very familiar to her. After an accident the girl finds herself locked in a mansion with no memory of her life except for Adam. She must now find out why who she is and why she's there.

Drama
Romance


It has some pyro, robotics, and special effects, but not much.

It has a script that is 5 star everything.

I am upgrading the sfx to state of the art, and increasing the production, set, crew, and pyro effects to best enhance a great script.

We will be shooting in Mexico to reduce the cost of the production significantly. (by 40%). It adds 2 months to our pre-production time though.

I have used 10 auditions for a leading lady for this film and have yet to find anyone with a 5 star audition. Ick. After 15 auditions, I haven’t found a 5 and I’m out of auditions for this role this month. I’m just going to cast a 4.

We are all set, with many 4 star auditions instead of 5 (sad).


Dir. Peter Weir, 815k
Prod. Claude Purdue, 805k
Lead. Cate Blanchett, 2.85mill
Love. Patrick Fugit, 100k (one of my few 5 star auditions for any role)
Villain. Ellen Page. 2.28m
Bad Girl. Claire Danes. 760k
Off-Beat. Franka Potente. 235k. (5 star)


Many die, and only two are needed for sequel, so I signed them in.


Pre-production has officially started.


Since we have a full number of projects, we cannot make any more or purchase any more.

[Abe Sargent]

End of July


Jane Fonda retires

A remake of It’s a Wonderful Life has been undertaken by one of our rivals.


Love Hunting and The Bottom Line have moved to post-production.


I move getting retired to casting.


Getting Retired

Religious/Apocalyptic


I am increasing special effects tremendously.

I upgrade our special effects from state of the art to groundbreaking. We will be filming in Mexico again to reduce costs, and the amount of time it will take to get this will be massive.

We green light it

Dir. Chris Weitz, 700k
Prod. Martin Laster, 760k
Lead. Amy Adams, 4.15m
Buddy. Radha Mitchell, 285k
Villain. Mark Wahlberg, 4.85m
Idiot. Kyra Sedgewick. 335k
Sweet. Casey Affleck. 2.25m



Minor roles to:

Cole Hauser
Eliza Dushku
Anson Mount


165 mill for the negative, 283 for everything.

I add an instrumental soundtrack and some additional trailers, and bump it to 295



I make modifications to Love Hunting and The Bottom Line’s marketing, DVD releases, and such



I slate Lightning Strikes for release the week of Halloween as our first release.

[Abe Sargent]

End of August


The short story adaptation of Cave Girl is back from the writer and ready to go.

Fearful Dreams has moved to completion

Could it be True and Hot Tamales have moved to post-production


Could it be True appears to be doing well, and I increase marketing to get more screens. Hot Tamales is not.



Cave Girl


A man is transported back in time and falls in love with a cave girl.


Romantic Comedy

Our casting was really quick. We found the right people quickly.


Dir. Harold Ramis, 885k
Prod. Sophie Texlan, 605k
Lead. Jake Gyllenhaal, 4.33m
Love. Julia Stiles, 910k
Villain. Ryan Gosling, 1.05m
Friend. Ryan Reynolds, 910k


A solid cast for an off-beat Rom-Com if I do say so myself!

80 mill for negative cost


I roll with a pop soundtrack and the film looks to be doing well with theaters, so I increase marketing significantly. Total cost for now is:

207 mill

[Abe Sargent]

End of September

Lightning Strikes is ready, and screening at 95%

When a Latin Lover Gets Loved is ready and screening at 87%

Angry Truth is screening at 81%

We are re-editing Angry Truth. I tried testing a bunch of edits and am going with one for action, which brings it up to 84%. That adds two months until its ready.

A lot of weeks coming up are taken with other films. I slate When a Latin Lover Gets Loved for week 3, Nov, the only open week for a while.


We are down to 42 mill in the bank, after starting with 1 billion in currency. We need to make some cash this month from our first release.

[Abe Sargent]

Lightning Strikes

132 mill for everything

4 stars for director, producer, and all actors except those mentioned below.

5 stars for Ryan Gosling, and minor roles Chiwetel Ejiofor and Shea Wingham

3 stars for supporting role Rufus Sewell

Star Appeal: 2 stars
Story Appeal: 3
Character Appeal: 5
Genre Appeal: 5
Production Budget: 1
Script-to-film: 5
Advertising: 5
Marketing Focus: 3


Here we go!

Domestic Gross: 83m
Foreign: 151m
Worldwide: 235m

We make half of that back, so the film cost 132 to make, and we basically made that back just in the theaters. Now, the other stuff:

Blu Ray was about 160 mill in both markets
Cable and Broadcast rights were about 7 mill
Total Studio Revenue – 291 mill
Net Revenue – 159 mill


Yay! We made money.

We basically just made the DVD profit with the theater revenue paying the cost of the film. That’s not bad at all for your first film.

[Abe Sargent]

November begins:

Oil Me Up has begun filming
Lonely Fingers Do a Dance has finished filming
The Bottom Line is ready, and screening at 94%
Love Hunting is screening at 92%

I schedule Love Hunting against a romance on the 5th week of December.

The Bottom Line is scheduled for the first week of January.



As a reminder, these are our current projects in the writing stage:

The Prisoner
Smallville
Degrassi Jr. High
Jagged Alliance
Doctor Who
Coupling
Flatwoods
Steel Drivin’ Man
The Battle of Blair Mountain
Lucifer’s Hammer
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Nightfall
The Call of Cthulhu
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
Stormbringer
Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers

[Abe Sargent]

New Movie In Works

AvengersAssemble.org


After the impact of the Avengers characters and team from the late 2000’s and early 2010s by Marvel, the power of super hero films was solidified in the American conscious. After a while, the entertainment crash saw the loss of film dynasties that were box office successes of various size.

Today, Centurion Studios announced that they have optioned the rights for the Avengers franchise. Instead of bringing the major characters to the screen, they will be focusing on a different Avengers team. Here is CEO James Essex’s statement to us about the project:

“I’ve always loved the Avengers going all the way back to my childhood. It’s my favorite comic! What made the Avengers so awesome was that within 16 months of debuting the comic, Stan Lee moved on from his original creation and changed the team to form around some B level characters. This enabled him to write better stories, unfettered by the stories in the other comics. It’s hard to write character developed for Thor in the Avengers when he’s getting it in the Thor comic, for example.

However, many of the reboot franchises of Avengers have focused on the original characters – Thor, Iron Man, Hulk (who was only and Avenger for two comics), Captain America (who joined in #4), and so forth. Whether it’s the Avenger film franchise, the animated series in the 2010-12 TV, the animated direct to DVD series in the late 2000s, or the Ultimates comics line, the story focuses on the wrong thing about the Avengers.

The Vision was Marvel’s most popular character for years. He was a B level character in the Avengers. Moving to Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Black Knight, Vision, and more allowed the comic to develop very interesting characters. That’s the heart of the Avengers – unlikely heroes becoming the World’s foremost heroic team.

We will have a new vision for the Avengers – a group of street level characters who get together because New York needs a super hero team to defend it. There will be no Hulk and no Iron Man, no Thor and no Captain America. This will be the heart of the Avengers.”

It’s certainly a new and fresh take on the comic. We’ve gotten a look at the characters that will be making the new team. Their names, costumes, and such may change. But, they are:

Captain Marvel – Monica Rambeau
Black Panther – Luke Foster
Firebird – Bonita Juarez
Black Knight – Dane Whitman
Hawkeye – Clint Barton
Moon Knight – Jake Lockley


It’s a very interesting line up. Will it work? Who knows, but at least they are trying something new with the franchise. It certainly is an interesting lineup, and the story possibilities are endless. How closely will characters like Moon Knight and Black Panther mimic their comic inspiration?

We wish anybody who respects the franchise good luck in their endeavors, and hope that Essex and his studio can adhere to the source material, while making something new for fans.

[Abe Sargent]

Avengers Assemble


Action/Super-Hero

When a major threat strikes New York that no individual hero can stop, a new team of heroes forms to Avenge the hurt, the lost, and the destitute of the city.

Lots of special effects, robotics, and pyro.
Appeals to male audiences.


3 star violence, no nudity, 1 star language

Main character – Capt. Monica Rambeau, youngest police captain NYC history. 35. Diff 70. Lead, Heroic, lives, stunts required. Some make up needed too. (FYI, Monica Rambeau is black)

Love interest – Luke Foster, aka Black Panther. A local school teacher for an underprivileged school who moonlights as a protector of children, and those who would hurt them. 35, 70, Lead, Heroic (also black). Stunts needed, no make up.

Villain – Graviton. 45, no stunts, diff 70, cruel and yet naïve (it’s hard to pull off for the newly minted villain), a total heavy in power, no make up needed. Lives, but not needed for sequel.

Support – Hawkeye. Diff 60, 30 years old. Lead, aggressive. Clint Barton and partner Dane Whitman run a detective agency under aliases Steve Archer and Michael Blade. The Archer and Blade Detective Agency finds the crimes and Hawkeye and Black Knight end them. Roommates and college friends, and now a crime fighting pair. More stunts for these two that any other role.

Support – Bonita Juarez, aka Firebird. A social worker who was suddenly blasted with a bolt of fire from the sky and gained her powers, she believe she is God’s chosen to the underprivileged. She uses her power openly, and adorns a special costume when she does. The aura of fire that surrounds her protects her identity, and so she is one of the few to openly operate during the day. 35, female, diff 60, two stars of stunts, make up, lead and innocent.

Minor Support – Black Knight – exactly same as Hawkeye. Lead and off-beat

Minor Support – Jake Lochley, aka Moon Knight. Just a simple cab driver by day, but at night, he prowls the city from rooftop looking for crime to stop. You would be surprised at what people will say on the phone in front of a cabbie. He is a bit more brutal than the other Avengers. Diff 65, age 38, lead, tough, 2 stars of stunts

Minor Support – Grim Reaper. Villainous, tough. Encountered early on, and eventually taken out by tag team of Black Panther and Monica, which is their first meeting. 30, three star stunts, diff 50.


It will take 15 months and 3.75 mill to write.

[Abe Sargent]

“Latin Love” at the Box Office


www.TheNOW.com
Mike Thomason


Certainly one of the more unique titles to come down the pike for major studio productions is “When a Latin Lover Gets Loved.” Is it a romance film? It certainly sounds like it, right? Of course, it’s actually a light hearted suspense film, with comedic elements.

After last month’s solid debut film, Lightning Strikes, made money for its studio, can this film be a follow up? The premise is simple enough. Jaden McNally (played masterfully by Ethan Hawke), is a Latin Dance Instructor, who is seducing women and enjoying his life. His friend Gerry Osbourne (played pretty well by William Sadler) and him set up plans to seduce women. Unfortunately, he seduces Mabel Mckenzie (played amazingly well by Helen Hunt).

Mabel is actually married to gazilloiaire tycoon Mike Mckenzie (played solidly by William Fichtner). Fichtner employs his henchman (played very well by Geoffrey Rush) to begin to take out Jaden’s business.

It’s all laughs and suspense, in equal measure in this film. The supporting roles are amazingly acted, and Delroy Lindo, Vincent Cassel, Mos Def and Robert Carlyle bringing in top notch performances. They join forces with Mike and his henchmen to form a League to stop our Latin Lover, and each has nice screen time trying to take him out with various methods (the banker, Delroy Lindo, turns off his credit, as an example).

It’s a smart film, done by a studio who said they would make smart films. The directors and producers did very well. The script is pretty good. Just like Lightning Strikes, the film understands what genre it’s in and is pretty savvy about the whole thing. Perhaps this will be Centurion Studios bread and butter film, the smart send up of various genres with strong comedic elements. It works here.

The film lacks some pizzazz. Should I say, some Latin flair? It’s still worth the price of admission and I give it a strong B

[Abe Sargent]

When a Latin Lover Gets Loved

Dir. Mike Newell – 4 stars
Prod. Gilbert Leander – 4 stars
Lead Ethan Hawke – 5 stars
William Sadler, Geoffrey Rush, William Fichtner – 4 stars
Everybody else 5 stars

Star Appeal – 2
Story Appeal – 3
Character Appeal – 5
Genre Appeal – 4
Production Budget – 1
Script to film – 5
Advertising – 5
Marketing to Audience – 3


Here we go….

US Gross: 32 mill
Foreign Gross: 62 mill
DVD (Blu Ray) – 44 mill
Total Studio Revenue – 105 mill
Cost – 95 mill
Money made – 10 mill


Well, it barely broke even. I think a low production budget kept it down. I didn’t want too big of a budget for my first films. As a result, it’s a nice little art house piece that may do well for awards time.

[Abe Sargent]

Enter December:


Changes to projects:

Cut done for Angry Truth
Pre-Production complete for Last Quarter, On Foreign Soil
Post-Production for Hot Tamales is done. It is screening at 95%

Hot Tamales is slated for release in Feb, third week
Angry Truth for release the 3rd week of March


Despite how good it looks, I can’t get Hot Tamales to more than 1500 screens, no matter my marketing budget.

[Abe Sargent]

Post to Anime Enthusiast Blog

By

AnimeX


Word today is that Centurion Studios is doing something a little different with an anime project they purchased. We’ve seen anime shows adapted to TV for America, and turned into animated films. What is pretty rare is the conversion of the project to live action.

That is exactly what CEO James Essex intends to do with his recent purchase, “Blue Gender.” This was a well received one season show from 1999. However, it is not one of Anime’s top stories, nor it is one that has resonated through the years.

It’s still a good story, typical for the age. I was able to have a quick chat with James Essex, CEO of Centurion. He told me that the plan was for the first movie to closely follow the plot of roughly the first half of Blue Gender. But then, he will change most of the rest of the stuff.

Since Blue Gender begins very interestingly, but quickly evolves into typical anime features like the Earth fighting back through Gaia and such, I can see why he’d change it for a modern movie audience.

[Abe Sargent]

Blue Gender

After being awoken from a deep sleep in a cryo chamber, Yuji finds himself in a world gone mad. As massive insects have infested the world, Yuji must try to survive with a band of hardened soliders.


Science Fiction/Alien Invasion (or is it?)
Action

Future setting
Set in Asian metropolis

A sold amount of foul language (2 stars), 4 stars of violence, and 1 star of love scenes

Ending ambiguous
Additional villain - insects


Characters:

Yuji, 25, Lead, Innocent, 2 stars stunts, 1 star make up, action role, diff 80 (it’s hard to do and not appear whiny), need for sequel.

Marlene, 30, lead, tough, love interest, 4 stars stunts, 2 make up, survives, needed for sequel

Joey, 25, buddy, 4 star stunts, 2 make up, diff 65, friend, member of Marlene’s squad – the only one who’s friendly towards Yuji at first. Dies, not needed for sequel.

Sgt. Robert Bradley, 35, lead, tough, 2 stars of stunts, 1 make up, dies, not needed for sequel, diff 60

Dice, 40, supporting, tough, military runaway who has survived out there, and helps our mains. Lives needed for sequel. Diff 55, 3 stars stunts

A few minor roles, that mostly die, but none enough to make the list.

15 months and 3.75 mill needed for script

[Abe Sargent]

Review of “Love Hunting”


Miko Hunter
Linket | Test (www.linkET.com)


With two films under their belt, Centurion Studios try their third film in as many months, with the release of Love Hunting this week.

In Love Hunting, a volcano erupts and begins to shoot lava towards LA. People scramble to survive the oncoming disaster while Helicopter pilot Steve Swank (Adrien Brody) and his ex-SEAL buddy Mason Counter (Casey Affleck) use his chopper to try and see the lava, and help people.

Unfortunately, some are taking advantage of the chaos, and they are led by Esmeralda Destiny (Kate Winslet). She is trying to break into houses and steal people’s belongings. She leads a band of rioters that threaten locals such as Allen (Javier Bardem) and Rachel (Zooey Deschanel).

It’s another script that’s solidly written, and tries to blend comedic elements with more heavy material. This is clearly the bread and butter of Centurion Studios, but it’s three films now that we’ve seen this. It’s beginning to look a little stale.

Robert Zemeckis is adequate as the director, but Bess Komie is pretty good as producer. All of the actors turn in good performances down the line.

This is getting a bit stale, but the film still has some substances on the bones. My overall ranking is a B-.

[Abe Sargent]

Love Hunting

Dir. Zemeckis – 3
Prod. Bess Komie – 4

All actors at 4 stars (Adrien Brody, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Javier Bardem, and Zooey Deschanel)

Star Appeal – 2
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 1

Production Budget: 2
SFX Budget: 3
Script to film: 5
Advertising: 5
Market to audience: 3


Domestic Gross: 95 mill
Foreign Gross: 180 mill
Total – 275 mill

DVD – 122 mill


Total Revenue – 280 mill
Cost – 175 mill
Money Made – 105 mill



Yay, we made money. That’s what we need to keep things fresh.

[Abe Sargent]

End of December.


January 2024


Changes in film status:

The Prisoner script is done!
Fearful Dreams has completed production and moved to post


Award Consideration:


HM3 automatically submits all roles and films to awards submission.


The Prisoner

Film in LA

I increase production costs across the board to 5 star.

We green light it. It should take 9 months from start to finish.

I have a few male actors I have in mind for the role of Number 6, the ex secret agent. Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, and more. The only five star audition I’ve found so far is Matt Damon, who is doing three films in a row and isn’t available for a year! I ultimately decide to go with Daniel Craig, a 4 star audition. I pay him 12 and a half mill

For the love interest, No. 46, I go with Milla Jovovich, who is a perfect casting for the Russian ex-spy role. (Well, they have her as a 4, but I think she’d be a 5 in rl). 2.1 mill brings her in.

The villain, Number 2, will be well. Hmm. My best audition was Tobey McGuire. I was looking at Christian Bale or Cillian Murphy. There are others who cast alright, and those two are four each. Let’s cast him against type for almost 20 million.

Rob Brown will be cast as the friend to Number 6, for 200k (a 4 star audition).

I cast Ben Affleck as the nerd, scientist No 98. 2.5 mill and a 4 star casting.

1 mill brings Jonathan Demme to my project as director. I liked his first film for me, and I’m happy to bring him in for a second. 800k brings Dwight Furten to the producer role.

For supporting roles, I auto-cast:

Michael Imperioli, 500k
Ari Graynor, 150k
Mos Def, 700k
Adam Beach, 500k


I pour a lot of money into marketing, and we’ll get it shown on 4000 screens. I spend $$ on a jazz soundtrack. I jack up the DVD something nice.

We make 16 million on ancillaries already – toys, posters, novelization, etc.

291 mill for the entire thing after marketing and such. We are producing a film I hope will be huge – with leads people know, a large production, budget a big marketing campaign, and more.

[Abe Sargent]

January 4, 2024
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex IV

Hello folks! Have a sit and welcome to our fourth interview with the CEO of Centurion Studios, James Essex. After announcing not one, not two, but three projects set in West Virginia last year, he begins this one with a new project in the script writing stage. “Four Governors.”

This is the story of the West Virginia election of 1888 which led to four people claiming they were Governor, and two different people being sworn in on the same day! As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia.


James is a great friend to AHnet, and was happy to join us again to talk about the new project. James, as always, welcome to at AHNet!

James: It’s always fun to be here!

AHNet: Congratulations on your first few films! It must be nice to see films finally hit the screens!

James: You cannot image the worry that I had built up, because I feared my projects and company would flame out. It’s nice to know that there are others out there that agree with my vision of film making.

AHNet: Any news on the other three West Virginia scripts?

James: No, it takes a while to see them hit fruition sometimes.

AHNet: Why Four Governors? It seems like an unusual project.

James: The documentary done on the Presidential Election of 2000 that was done a few years ago really stuck with me. I thought a historical drama showing the lives of these four men from 1888, and how politics, greed , corruption, and arrogance could combine to create a ridiculous situation. I thought it would make a good movie.

AHNet: How closely do you intend to stick to the real story.

James: The problem is that no one knows who won that election, and which results were fake and which were real. A democratic legislature chose the democratic results to elect the democratic candidates. And yet, there was not this huge anti-Democrat campaign in the state. Democrats would win the next two governorships. Similarly, the election conspiracy of Hayes didn’t hurt the Republicans too much, and the issues in the Bush/Gore campaign didn’t hurt the Republications too much, and it’s interesting to wonder why.

AHNet: Do you think you can do the story justice?

James: That won’t be a problem. We’ll take a few liberties with the actual story to make things a bit more interesting, but I expect to hew to history more than 90% of the time.


AHNet: Well, thanks once again for giving us a bit of your time. Good luck with your next release!

James: Thanks again!

[Abe Sargent]

Four Governors


After corrupted election results are turned in, four men claim to be the Governor.


Historical
Political

Justice is at stake


All major parts are at 70 difficulty, and in the 40-50 age area. They are:

Lead – Nathan Goff, Jr ,the republican candidate
Buddy – Aretas B Fleming, the democrat candidate
Villain – Robert S Carr, President of the Senate, who manipulates the corruption, and then declares himself governor in the crises.
Support – Gov. Wilson. He declares he is still governor until the crisis ends.

There are no other major roles, just minor ones as these four intersect with each other.


Story ending thought provoking

Set construction 4 stars, no pyro, robotics, sfx.

No violence, love scenes, foul language

Five star everything but plot twist, which is 3.

The usual – 15 months and 3.75 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Review of The Bottom Line

AllMoviesBlog

This film was supposedly brought to Centurion Studios with a cast, director, producer, and script all ready to go, just looking for a greenlight. A fledgling studio looking for scripts and a quick project jumped at the chance. This is the result.

The Bottom Line is a teen comedy that stars Helena Bonham Carter, Will Smith, and Ashley Judd. The film was directed by Jamie Babbitt and produced by Carin Adlay.

In the film, several teachers fight over who is the most popular teacher in school. Showing a teen comedy from the viewpoint of the teachers is certainly a bit more interesting. It’s also nice to see Will Smith act as someone who is not Will Smith, and he does a career punctuating turn in this film. See it for Will Smith alone.

The movie is sharp, with clever characters, and lots of things to rave about it. Will Smith and one of the supporting actors, Paul Dano, are amazing here. Ashley Judd is an average English teacher, Helena Bonham Carter an average art teacher, and David Krumholtz an average math teacher. Emily Blunt is clearly miscast for this role and turns in a poor job as the principal.

Also, the direction and production are uneven at best. While the script was good enough, and Will Smith is amazing, a lot of the other stuff was not. Overall, I’d give it 3 stars out of 5.

[Abe Sargent]

The Bottom Line

Dir. Jamie Babbitt – 3 stars
Prod. Carin Adlay – 3 stars
Actors all did 3 stars except for:
Will Smith, Paul Dano – 5 stars
Emily Blunt – 2 stars

Appeal:
Star – 5 stars
Story – 2
Character – 5
Genre – 5

Production budget – 5 stars
Script to film – 4
Advertising – 5
Marketing focus – 3

US – 100m
Foreign – 192m
Total – 292 m

DVD – 111m
Soundtrack – 29m

Total Revenue – 327mill
Cost – 159 mill
Profit – 168mill

That’s a good profit!

[Abe Sargent]

End of January


People who quit – Ian McKellan, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Brian Dennehy

2024 Oscar Nominations (I will only mention ours):

Best Movie – Love Hunting, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved

Best Director – Mike Newell (When a Latin Lover gets Loved) (Others include Jim Carrey, Quentin Tarantino, and Stephen Spielberg)

Best Actor - Ethan Hawke, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved. Others are Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey and Chris Tucker.

Best Actress – No Centurion Nominees (Tea Leoni, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep).

Best Supporting Actor – Mos Def and Vincent Cassel – Latin Lover (Nicholas Cage, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert de Niro)

Best Supporting Actress – Helen Hunt, Latin Lover (Global Pictures has the other four – Renee Zellwinger, Lisa Kudrow, Jane Fonda and Jodi Foster)

Best Original Screenplay – When a Latin Lover Gets Loved,

Best Screenplay Adaptation – We have no nominees


With seven nominations, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved is the most nominated film.

Second is The Passion of Joan d’Arc, directed by Spielberg, starring Streep, Murray, supporting role by Philip Seymour Hoffman and a screenplay nom for 6 nominations.

I schedule Could it be True for an April release. It should be ready next month. I schedule the adventure Lonely Fingers Do a Dance for memorial Day weekend.

I purchase the movie rights for a comic book – Jeremiah. The TV show was based on this comic. It’s a 5 star project. I send it to a writer for 4 months and 1 mill should see it arrive.

[Abe Sargent]

These Tamales are Hot!!!


www.TheNOW.com
Mike Thomason


Business comedies really aren’t the most common genre in movie-dom, so when you get a chance to see one, it’s something special. Will this movie be special good, or special bad? This is the 5th film in five months for what we once called a fledgling move studio. After one of their films from last year led the Oscars with 7 nominations, I think we’ll need to discard that moniker.

How will the 5th film fare?

It’s basically just like When a Latin Lover Gets Loved. Good script, good acting, great home run level production, adequate direction, interesting, low production values, and a comedy+serious stuff happening.

And my guess is that it will not make a lot of money, just like Latin Lover failed to do.

It’s a good film. I’ll skip the usual fare where I talk about the plot, the roles, and so forth, because they don’t really matter. Clive Owen and Anna Paquin turn in absolute five star performances. Guy Pearce and Claire Danes are really, really good, but not super great like Anna and Clive. The acting all around is great. You will love the smartness, wit, and snappy dialogue on this piece. A solid A-.

[Abe Sargent]

Hot Tamales

Dir. David Lynch – 3
Prod. Chris Idyll – 5

Clive and Anna – 5
Claire and Guy – 4

Appeal:
Star – 2
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 5
Prod Budget – 1
Script to film - 5
Advertising – 5
Marketing – 4


Here we go….

Domestic – 41 mill
Foreign – 54 mill
Total – 96 mill

DVD/Blu Ray – 74 mill


Total Revenue – 128 mill
Cost – 93 mill
Profit – 35 mill


This is a good film that may come back in a year and make more money post-awards.

[Abe Sargent]

End of February


Lots of changes in our projects:

Scripts done for – Smallville, Jagged Alliance
Films ready – Lonely Fingers do a Dance, Could it be True
Filming done – Oil me Up, Last Quarter, On Foreign Soil




Jagged Alliance

Filmed in Mexico

Upgraded budgets in many things across the production board. It will take 16 months to complete.

Gus Tarballs will be Viggo Mortensen at a price of 3.8 mill

Buzz, will be played by Jessica Alba for 3 mill

The villainess, Deidranna, will be played by Darryl Hannah for 375k – there really aren’t a lot of older action oriented female stars

Ivan Dolvich will be played by Joaquin Phoenix, for almost 4 mill

Finally, Miguel Cordona will be played by 3 million Brendan Fraser.

For minor roles:

Shadow – Cillian Murphy – 1.17 m
Buns – Lena Headey – 435k
Fox – Kate Bosworth – 3 mill (I wanted Jessica Biel, but settled for Kate)
Ice Williams – There are a large number of black men capable of doing this part – Bokeem Woodbine – 200k (I wanted to cast 5 star auditions with Wayans, Mos Def, and many more, but this guy was willing to take the part)

Cameo – Enrico Chivaldori – Vin Diesel, 2.5 mill

Director – (I wanted to cast Ridley Scott, but he wanted to many extras, and bumping his salary to 3 points and 12 mill is not what I wanted.) (Then Ang Lee tried to pull the same trick) Brian da Palma, 1 mill

Prod – Angela Saccone (from Lightning Strikes) – 500k
I feel very good about the cast here.

I do a Metal 5 star soundtrack. I load the DVD with extras. We gained 17 mill in ancillary revenue already.

275 mill total (and that’s with a reduction of 60% of production costs due to filming in Mexico.)
110 of that is negative cost and sfx

[Abe Sargent]

Smallville


Filming in Vancouver. 12 months to go.


Clark Kent - We’ll cast him last.

Lana Lang – Keira Knightley – 12 mill

Lex Luthor – Colin Ferrell, 10.3 mill

Pete Ross – Patrick Fugit, 89k
Chloe Sullivan – Anna Paquin was my only 5 star audition, 450k
Dale Frees – Ryan Gosling (needed for sequel, the other supporting roles are not)


Dir – David Slade, 800k (A nice, up and coming director)
Prod – Maria ramsey – 400k


Who to cast as Supes? It’s a tough gig. Easy on some fronts, mega tough on others.

Brandon Routh auditions at just 3.

Here are those I would be interested in seeing auditions from: James McAvoy, Jake Gyllenhaal (a little ick on that one, to be fair), Orlando Bloom, Ryan Reynolds, and whomever I like in the character actor section of the table that has the physical presence.

James was a 3, so was Ryan. Orlando has a schedule conflict, Jake is not interested.

After a bit, I have one audition left, and Jake is now interested. I audition him, and he’s a 4. I have no 5’s. I cast Jake.

A order a 5 star pop and rock soundtrack.

16 mill in ancillaries

I load the DVD with the maximum amount of extras. It includes Easter Eggs, Making Of featurette, various commentaries, interview, deleted scenes, out-takes. SFX featurette and games/puzzles.

293 mill

[vols21]

congrats on success and highly nominated film so far.


in general, how much marketing are you throwing at the movies - and how many theaters do you shoot for (is it best to send to as many as possible?)

[Abe Sargent]

I generally shoot for more money for marketing when possible, especially for films I've already put a big production and acting budget into. If I've already dumped 200 mill into it, what's another 10 million for an extra 500 theaters? On the other hand, if it has a special market, I steer clear of too much marketing. There;s no reason to have some arthouse or child's film opening up everywhere.

[Izulde]

I curse you, Abe. This dynasty made me break down and buy HM3. I thought I'd bought it before but couldn't find anything in my emails, so I may have rebought it. Oh well.

[Izulde]

By the way, on the previous property lists, are the genre, etc. all screwed up on yours as well like they are mine? I'm wondering if I'm missed a setting somewhere.

[Abe Sargent]

Muaahaha!


Previous Property Lists? Are you referring to the Film Vault? Nope, mine aren;t.

[Izulde]

No, the Source Ideas like Novels, TV Shows, etc.

For example the one I have, The Wonder Years is listed as an Erotic Thriller.

[Abe Sargent]

Yeah it is, baby! Oh, Gwen, stop, Gwen!

Let me take a looksie

The Wonder Years, Drama, although I find the details often screwed up, like the lead is listed at 36.

Note that these came from databases we d/l'ed and not the game. They were made by fans, and a little frustrating, but not too shabby.

[Izulde]

I started a screw around dynasty. My big budget film that cost almost $500 million to make with everything kinda bombed. Lost $211 million but it won four Oscars and was nominated for a ton more. But I got 1* in marketing focus, so that's probably why. And it was R rated.

[Abe Sargent]

We purchase the TV Rights for Pokemon, which is in the files (unlike many other projects). I believe SFX has advanced to the point that live action Pokemon is doable.


I upgrade its dialogue and pace to 4 stars each. The roles I cast are Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie and James.

Coming of Age is at stake, and I change its target audience to children and families.

It will take 6.5 mill and 26 months (!) to do (Apparently, taking something from animation to real life takes forever)




Quickfire Reviews of Films for March, 2024




Angry Truth

The latest film from Centurion Studios sees some serious angriness and ire being spit from one character to another. This Steven Soderbergh film tries to show the truth that exists (or fails to) in a courtroom. Courtroom procedurals were never all of the rage, but Centurion tries to swing for the fences with this one.

Shia LaBeouf, Patrick Fugit, Rachel Weisz and Jennifer Connelly star in this film. Rachel’s great., Jennifer is good, but our two male leads are decent at best.

All of the pieces are here for a good movie, but it just doesn’t have a good movie feel. This feels like a major miss. At best, it’s a C+, and at worst, well, it’s not. Skip it for other films this month.

[Abe Sargent]

Angry Truth

Dir. Steve Soderbergh – 4 stars
Prod. – 4 stars
Shia – 3
Patrick – 3
Rachel – 5
Jennifer - 4





Domestic – 78mill
Foreign – 149m
Total – 227 mill

Just 26 mil in USA DVD releases but 88 mill abroad helps us to make money:


Total Revenue – 243 mill
Cost – 123 mill
Money Made – 120 mill

Yay!

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

Screenplay Adaptation – The Passion of Joan of Arc
Original Screenplay – When a Latin Lover Gets Loved
Best Supporting Actress – Helen Hunt, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved
Best Supporting Actor – Mos Def, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved
Best Actress – Nicole Kidman, Vistas
Best Actor – Robin Williams, Walk the Bottom
Best Director – Mike Newell, When a Latin Lover Gets Loved
Best Movie – When a Latin Lover Gets Loved


Acceptance Speech I type in.

Thanks to you all for making one of our first pictures the winner of tonight’s award. We are very happy to have brought you a film that you have enjoyed so much. We have some great competition, and are pleased to see all of the other films get some much-deserved praise as well. We promise to keep putting out great movies – this is just the beginning!

[Abe Sargent]

April –

The Battle of Blair Mountain is ready for casting.
The Prisoner and Cave Girl have entered filming



The Battle of Blair Mountain


We will be filming in Charleston WV.

Casting:


Adrien Brody, 2.5 mill (Nailed the audition of my lead)

Another lead is James MvAvoy for 1.9 mill (4 star audition)

The main villain will be played by Daniel Craig, for 12.4 mill. That gives my film some star power (and a 5 star casting)

2.6 mill brings Josh Hartnett as Ed Mooney, another of the unionizers.

860k brings Helen Mirren to bring Mother Jones to the screen. She had a 4 star cast, and a lot of the older talented women I was looking to bring in have retired recently, so I’m happy to find someone who can do the part.

Spielberg wants way too much dough. 800k brings director James Mangold to the project. Producer Brendan Faulkland wants 750k.

I auto cast the minor roles and they go to Topher Grace, Keither Sutherland and Jason Statham.


I greenlight a 5 star bluegrass soundtrack

320 mill for the project, and 11 months to get ready.

[Abe Sargent]

I create a script for the story of Zheng He and the Chinese Treasure Fleet.

2 star loves scenes, 3 star violence. Historical Epic. Named “The Western Ocean”

Eunuch and Muslim Zheng He is appointed admiral over the greatest fleet to ever sail, as it makes its way through Asia, settling disputes, ending wars, and establishing trade routes.

3 star intelligence, 4 star plot twists, and 5 star everything else.

Zheng He, lead, heroic, 32, 85 diff, drama

Buddy – 2nd in Command Wang Jinghong, 40, diff 70, friend normal, drama

Villain - Parâkramabâhu VI, King of Kotte, 35, diff 60, cruel, aggressive, action

Major – Pirate Captain, Villain/Heavy, nasty, 35, diff just 50, dies, action

Major – Ma Huan, Zheng He’s assistant and chronicler, 25, diff 50, friend, drama,

Minor – The Yongle Emperor, 50, support, heroic, drama, 50 diff, dies

There are a ton of minor and support roles beyond these, that no one casts. They will be requires to do some stunts, in various battles with pirates and on Ceylon.

It will cost 14 months and 3.75 mill to complete.

[Abe Sargent]

Behind the Scenes Review of “Could it Be True”


Abigail Winters
ETOnline


As you know, my column is dedicated to giving you a rundown of the nuts and bolts used to make the films, not to telling you if it moved my heartstrings. I analyze films on the merit of filmmaking. 210 million credits was spent to bring us the 7th film from Centurion Studios. They are going to hope that a cast of relative low names will hit all of the right notes, and make some cash for the studio.

I’ve seen well casted films with lower cash expectations. When a Latin Lover Gets Loved was released by this very studio with great acting jobs by lesser known talents. This is not. While none of the actors stunk up the screen, two of your majors were simply acceptable, and two were good. When you trade big names for small names, you are supposed to upgrade the performance, and that’s not the case here.

Indeed, cheap director Danny Boyle and cheap producer Jerome Sashburn also turn in average levels of performance. This movie puts a lot of money into production and marketing, and yet the jobs done by the talent was largely lackluster.

I don’t expect there to be a lot of traffic to see a film that won’t have buzz and won’t have star appeal.

[Abe Sargent]

Could it Be True


Dir. Danny Boyle, 3 stars
Prod. Sashburn, 3 stars
Brandon Routh – 4
Jennifer Garner – 3
Megan Fox – 4
Radha Mitchell – 3


Star Appeal – 2
Story – 4
Character – 5
Genre – 3

Prod. Budget – 3
SFX Bud – 3
Script ot Film – 5
Advertising – 5
Marketing – 3



Domestic Gross – 20 million
Foreign – 37 mill
Total – 57 mill

49 mill made in DVD sales


Total money made – 89 mill
Cost – 210 mill
We lost – 121 mill


Ouch!

[ozias]

Well Abe, your dynasty made me give HM3 a shot as well, but it still seems like you can create your own movie that flat out smashes totals.

Here is a screenie of my movie.

http://img279.imagevenue.com/loc34/th_16690_HM3_122_34lo.jpg (http://img279.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=16690_HM3_122_34lo.jpg)

All I did was create the title, hired a writer, put 5 stars in all of the post, pre and any other production thing I could think of, used the "auto cast" feature, and paid over 125 mil for advertising.

The film cost 620+ to make but I made that almost 10 times over in return.

It's the reason I stopped playing in the first place, or I've just had amazing luck with some movies.

[Abe Sargent]

Glad you liked it enough to give it a shot, but I miss on films too.

[Simbo Klice]

Well Abe, your dynasty made me give HM3 a shot as well, but it still seems like you can create your own movie that flat out smashes totals.

Here is a screenie of my movie.

http://img279.imagevenue.com/loc34/th_16690_HM3_122_34lo.jpg (http://img279.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=16690_HM3_122_34lo.jpg)

All I did was create the title, hired a writer, put 5 stars in all of the post, pre and any other production thing I could think of, used the "auto cast" feature, and paid over 125 mil for advertising.

The film cost 620+ to make but I made that almost 10 times over in return.

It's the reason I stopped playing in the first place, or I've just had amazing luck with some movies.

I like that John Belushi is starring in a movie released in 2015.

EDIT: Guess I should also say that this is an interesting dynasty, Abe. I've read a couple of your other ones (including the One Kai dynasty, which was awesome) and I'm a fan.

[Abe Sargent]

Cool cool, thanks!

[Abe Sargent]

End of April


I spend 28 mill of my personal money to buy a Malibu beachfront property with 2 acres of land and a nice mansion.


Lots of scripts are ready – Cthulhu, Canticle, Hammer, and Flatwoods.

Getting Retired has moved to filming.

I have three releases in July, and I’ve scheduled them.


I greenlight Call.




The Call of Cthulhu

4 star state of the art sfx, 5 star everything else.


Cast:

1 mill for director Mike Newell to return for us for another film. He did well for us once before with a Director Academy Award.

600k brings Vic Pakson to my producer role.

Henry Anthony Wilcox – See below

Inspector Legrasse – Edward Norton, 2.6 mill

Old Castro – Sean Penn, 9.6 mill

Major Support – George et all. Jeremy Irons, 860k

Major Support – Gustaf Johansen – 860k Aaron Eckhart



I want to audition DiCaprio and Bale, but neither are interested, so I go to my 3rd choice – Ethan Hawke, who has been great for me so far. He auditions at 5! (it’s a tough role, 95). But he is no longer interested. Ryan Phillipe gives me a 4. Jude Law – 3 star. Ben is the same – 3 stars. I eventually audition a full 15 people, and Bale comes around. His 4 star is enough. Hawke is my only 5 star, and he has never been interested after that. I cast Christian Bale for 14.1 mil.

A 5 star orchestral soundtrack and full DVD features are ordered.

Total cost – 365 mill credits!!!

[Abe Sargent]

I greenlight Flatwoods

We will be filming in Charleston, WV

5 star everything, inc state of the art sfx

Cast:

Gene Lemon – 285k for 4 star Jamie Bell

Kathleen May – 11.5 mill for Catherine Zeta-Jones

100k for Steven Booksley as the Flatwoods Monster

2.13 mill for A. Lee Stewart to be done by Ewan McGregor

2.28 mill for John Cusack as the Sheriff.

Wes Craven expressed interest, so I handed him the project for 2.62 mill

Dillon Verlon agrees to be producer for 705k

5 star soundtrack with a country/folk selection of tunes.

Every possible DVD extra is added.

382 mill is the cost, and it will be shown on 5000 screens

[Abe Sargent]

I greenlight Lucifer’s Hammer

I up the budget to the max for everything. Standard sfx though. We will film here in CA (since its set here)

Alfonso Cuaron, 800k, dir, and Theodore Levy Prod for 450k

Ethan Hawke, 1.83 mill for our lead

13.58mill gives us Charlize Theron as our love interest

Daniel Day-Lewis, villain (Rev. Armitage), 3.68 mill

Sen. Jellison – I had a pair of 5 star auditions for men who didn’t want it (Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner). 5 star Alfred Molina will play him instead. 385k

Prof Dan Forrester – 860k for Gary Oldman

Minor roles to:

Michael Pena, 435k; 150k to Bridget Moynahan


5 star pop and romance soundtrack.

320 mill for the project

[Abe Sargent]

Post on FOFC by Warhammer


I heard that they will be doing a Battletech film. Can you imagine? I wonder what the plot will be?

[Abe Sargent]

Mechwarrior



After war is declared against the Capellan Confederation, various characters interact as the Fourth Succession War begins.


Science Fiction
Action

Foul language, 4 stars of violence, no love scenes, scope 4 stars. Sets 4 stars, pyro, robotics, and sfx all 5

Main - Anton Ridzik – Wayward bastard son of Pavel Ridzik, caught in the beginning of the war as Davion forces assault the Confederation. Ultimately the film will end with Anton leading one of the forces on Tikonov against the Capellan Confederation after his father declares Tikonov free. (Action, 30, lead, heroic, lives, needed for sequel, diff 80)

Love Interest – Sgt. Rachel Hammersmith. (30, lead, heroic, lives, needed, action, diff 70)

Villain – Pavel Ridzik, 57, diff 70, action, fierce, cruel, needed for sequel

Major – Justin Xiang, 35, diff 65, needed for sequel, action, lead, intimidating

Major – Candace Liao, 38, diff 60, needed for sequel, drama, friend, normal.

Minor – Maximillian Liao, 60, villain, fierce, needed for sequel, drama, diff 60

Minor - Colonel Adam Kingston Bailey, CO of McGregor’s Armored Scouts, one of the Capellan units that assault Tikonov that fights against Anton Ridzik’s unit. Villain, heroic, 38, not needed for next film, but survives, diff 50

Minor – Colonel Xhang Li, the CO of Anton’s unit who dies in the first rounds of the Battle for Tikonov, forcing him into the CO position. Support, action, tough, diff 50, 40 years old, dies, not needed for sequel.


15 months, 3.75 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Review of “Lonely Fingers do a Dance”


AllHollywoodBlog


…and after leaving that theater, I moved to the virtual theater right next to it. I might as well see all of the May releases in one day, right? It IS Memorial Day weekend after all.

This is easily the best film released this month. Everybody does a really good job. No one is amazing, but this is a very consistent movie. Originally, it seemed like Centurion’s base film was a genre-savvy film with comedy laced in. Then they moved away, and it’s nice to see them return this ,month, when Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Lonely Fingers do a Dance.

I don’t want to spoil much of the plot, but Leo’s character is a drug lord, and Ryan Reynolds is a rival drug lord. The two have henchmen, farmers, and more. It’s a biting satire at your typical action film. You’ll love it. It’s got plenty of twists and turns, in addition to laughs and points being made about movies and America.

I give it a good, strong 3.5 stars out of 5.

[Abe Sargent]

Lonely Fingers do a Dance

Dir. Coen Brothers – 4 stars
Prod. Howard Pillow – 4 stars
Ryan Reynolds – 4
Eric Bana – 4
Ziyi Zhang – 4
Robin Tunney – 4
Zoe Tapper – 4

Appeal:
Star – 3
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 2

Prod Budget – 2
SFX Budget – 3
Script to Film – 4
Advertising – 1
Marketing – 3


Domestic – 93 mill
Foreign – 178 mill
Total – 272 mill

101 mill in DVD

Revenue – 247 mill
Cost – 234 mill
Money Made – 12 mill


Well, at least it wasn’t as bad as last month’s!

[Abe Sargent]

End of May


Writing Complete – Coupling, Jeremiah, Steel Drivin’ Man



Coupling

Filmed in Vancouver


Steve – Jimmy Fallon, 860k
Susan – Julia Stiles, 910k
Jeff – 1.11 m for Jon Heder
Jane – Katherine Heigl, 10 mill
Sally – 2.23 mill to Keri Russell
Patrick – Casey Affleck, 1.83 mill

Dir – Jason Reitman, 1.78 mill
Prod – 400k for Lester Eastport


It will take 11 months

236 mill for project (includes tons of marketing, a good dvd/blu ray release, and 5 star soundtrack with 80s pop and rock

[Abe Sargent]

Steel Drivin’ Man

Filmed in Charleston, WV

Playing the past of John Henry is tough.


Buddy – Whoops!
Villain – Clive Own, 3.73 mill



John Henry – After failing to find someone with the right body type, we scour and spend 29 auditions to create this actor:

Raymond Jenkins, 35, 3 star in action, comedy, work ethic, composure, humility, takes direction, 5 star drama, sex appeal, screen presence

Producer Holly Mustlow, 645k; Director Richard Linklater, 905k



Minors:

Ziyi Zhang, Chiwetal Ejiofor, Anson Mount


I run out of auditions for my buddy. I cast 5 men, all had 4s or 5s, and none want the part. I have to move on, and finish casting next month.


I have no movie release this month.

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE


Centurion Studios, a studio dedicated to producing smart and provocative films, announced that they purchased the movie rights to Torchwood. This will allow Centurion to achieve their objective of crafting movies that will last, and that you will want to watch over and over.

A spin-off of Doctor Who, with a Who script in the writing stage right now, this will allow the movie screen to see one of the more interesting TV shows of the last 20 years, while also developing a cross product.

We believe that this project has the great properties people have come to expect from Centurion.

Centurion is committed to quality movies and will continue to scour all available material for suitable entertainment for our minds and souls.

[Abe Sargent]

Torchwood

After the collapse of Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness takes over the Cardiff branch and turns it into a new line of defense against aliens and the rift.

Sci-Fi/Alien Invasion


Target audience is now changed to people younger. (Males and females, 18-35)

3 star foul languages, 4 star violence, 2 star love scenes. 4 star pyro, no robotics, 4 star sfx.

Capt Jack – 85 diff, 38 age, action, lead heroic, 2 star stunts
Gwen Cooper – 65 diff, 30, lead, heroic, action, 2 star stunts
Villain – Billis Manger, conniving, aggressive, 50, diff 60, no stunts, not needed for sequel
Owen Harper, 1 star nudity, 2 star stunts, 32, diff 60, action, support, tough
Toshiko Sato, 2 star stunts, 1 star nudity, 34, diff 60, nerd, naïve

Minor –

Ianto Jones, diff 40, 25, support, normal, action


15 months, 3.75 mill

[Abe Sargent]

End of June


July –

Before checking my mail, I go to finish casting Steel Drivin’ man.

I cast Jonathan Rhys-Meyers for 485k
329m spent for Steel Drivin’ man.

Now to news.

Three projects are finished:

Oil Me Up, On Foreign Soil, and Fearful Dreams. They are screening at 85, 86 and 86, respectively.

Filming on Cave Girl has wrapped up


I authorize a reedit of On Foreign Soil. After playing around with various edits, the one that most worked was changing the ending from happy to heartbreaking, and it jumped to a 91% screen. It will still be ready in time for its Halloween release.

[Abe Sargent]

Jeremiah



Filming in Mexico

19.55 mill for Tobey McGuire as Jeremiah
4.23 mill for Kate Beckinsale as his love interest
1.06 mill for Ryan Gosling, the villain
522k for Mos Def
2.28 mill for Ellen Page

No minor roles

5.35 mill for director Christopher Nolan, 805k, Prod Harvey Salliman

Advance revenue is 24.5 million!

We spend 6.2 for a 5 star rock/pop album


Total Cost - 314 mill

[Abe Sargent]

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Filming in Mexico


Starring Guy Pearce, 910k, James McAvoy for 1.93 mill, George Clooney for 19 mill, Johsh Hartnett for 2.63 mill, and Jim Caviezel for 1 mill

David Fincher, 1.95 mill, 845k for Arthur Sparks as Producer


307 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Review of Oil Me Up


Dir Doug Limon – 4 stars
Prod Harriet Aborman 4 stars
Ben Affleck – 4 stars
Kate Beckinsale – 5 stars
Hugh Jackman – 4
Shia LaBeouf – 3

Appeal:
Star - 2
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 2

Prod Budget – 4
SFX – 5
Script to Film – 4
Ad – 5
Marketing – 4


Here we go!

Domestic Gross 70
Foreign – 133
Total – 203

DVD and Blu Ray sales were almost 150 mill profit.

Revenue – 281 mill
Cost – 317
Loss – 34 mill


It’s a loss, but not a major one. We need some hits soon though.

[Abe Sargent]

End of July


I reject a domestic partnership with a random expensive film.

Writing complete on Nightfall, Stormbringer.

Filming has begun for Smallville, Jagged Alliance, and Lucifer’s Hammer.

We are in the red as a studio. Ouch.



Stormbringer


5 star everything inc Groundbreaking SFX

We are filming in Mexico

5 star heavy rock/metal soundtrack

It will open on 6000 screens!

I load the DVD with extras.

Let’s Cast:


I know who I want to star, and he’s interested. Leo casts at a 4 star though. Who else, under heavy make-up and SFX, could portray Elric? I cast him anyway.


Elric – Leonardo diCaprio, 30 mill sequel contract, 23 mill today
Cymoril – Charlize Theron, 15.9 mill, not needed for sequel
Yyrkoon – James Franco, 1.12 mill


Minors:

Ewan McGregor for 2.55 mill and Scott Speedman, 970k


The only one needed for a sequel is Elric.


Dir. (Peter Jackson wanted a huge salary upgrade, so…)1 mill for Guillermo del Toro

Prod Ferdinand Yeedman, 250k

It will take 26 months to make (spending 12 months in post production)

[Abe Sargent]

Nightfall

Production budget amped, state of the art sfx, filmed in Mexico, 22 month schedule, (Everything is upgraded to 5 stars in production area)


340k, Director Larry Fessenden

460k for Producer Stuart Woyman

1 mill for Zach Braff as my star
2.8 mill for Kate Winslet
11.6 mill for Hugh Jackman
2.14 mill for Eric Bana
210k for Wes Bentley
Minor role – 100k for Shawn Hatosy


5 star opera and orchestral soundtrack

340m for this project and 419 m for Stormbringer. That’s with a cost reduction by being in Mexico!






I need to make some money, so I buy a 4 star script, already written:

Promising Love, a martial arts film

We’ll cast it next month.

[Abe Sargent]

Review of Fearful Dreams

EyeSpy.com



This month’s thriller from Centurion Studios sees Ryan Gosling plunged from the average life of an accountant into the role of a mistaken spy. Better yet, the spy who everybody believes Ryan is, happens to be dead, so he won’t be coming back any time soon. Olga Kurylenko is the only spy to have ever met the one people believe Ryan to be, but she needs Ryan to play the role a bit longer.

A spy for the American government, played by Benicio del Toro, is tracking down our hero ruthlessly. He will take no prisoners, and stop at no Patriot Act in order to find Ryan.

We have other nations involved as well. A French spy (Audrey Tautou), an Irish spy (Elijah Wood) and more. At first is seems like a high octane version of North by Northwest, but very quickly, it spins out of control, with no one being who they seem, at first. No spoilers, but you will not guess this ending!

SPOILERS: Except for our villain. As the film unfolds, we find out that Ryan actually IS the spy, Olga actually works for Ukraine, Ryan is a double spy, Audrey is a double spy, and Elijah is actually an Irish terrorist, not a spy. Only our villain is who he says he is, and eventually you are rooting for the bad guy, despite the lengths he goes to, in order to shut down this ring of terrorists and spies.


The plot and script are good stuff. The director, Christopher Nolan, does very well with the film. The producer did a fantastic job. Except for Olga, all of the actors turned in really strong performances. Ryan, Audrey and a minor character played by Mika Boorem were especially great . Overall, this is a good film! A-

[Abe Sargent]

Fearful Dreams

Dir Nolan – 4 stars
Prod Vince Peyer – 5
Ryan Gosling – 5
Olga Kurylenko – 3
Benicio del Toro – 4
Elijah Wood – 4
Audrey Tautou – 5
Mika Boorem – 5
Emilie de Ravin – 4
Debra Messing – 4

Appeal
Star – 2
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 3

Production Bud – 4
SFX – 5
Script to film – 5
Ad – 4
Marketing - 3


Domestic – 68mill
Foreign - 133
Total – 201 mill


I just can’t break it open. (I am at the hardest level of difficulty, fyi)

DVD sale revenue was around 110 mill


Total Revenue – 250 mill
Cost – 264
Loss – 14

Well, I didn’t lose too much, but I need to start making money again.

[Abe Sargent]

End of Aug


I have no films to release in Sept, but I may have one, hold up

Harry’s All Night is finished writing

Last Quarter is done. It is screening at 95%

The Battle of Blair Mountain has begun filming


I can release Last Quarter now, or I can schedule it for Valentine’s Day, which no one has grabbed yet. Hmm.

We’ll schedule the drama and romance for now.

[Abe Sargent]

Promising Love

Dir Sam Mendes, 985k
Prod Arlen Savant, 145k
Lead – Al Pacino, 4.73 mill
Buddy – Michael Douglas, 3.8 mill
Villain – Joan Allen, 535k
Meg Ryan, 760k
Sigourney Weaver, 350k

I just want to push this film out the door. It will take 12 months to do in LA .

We are currently at 257 mill for this (largely marketing). Negative cost is 120 with sfx

[Abe Sargent]

Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers

Filming in Charleston, WV

4 star production instead of 5, inc sfx at 4 stars

Talent:

Dir Frank Darabont, 795k
Prod Vince Peyer, 200k (Let’s put him right back to work again)
Lead – Anton Yelchin, 285k
Buddy – Daniel Radcliffe, 960k
Major Support – Val Kilmer, 860k
Major S. – Patrick Dempsey, 1.16 mill
Major S – 10.5 mill, Owen Wilson (upgrades to lead buddy if sequel)


5 star rock and hard rock soundtrack

[Abe Sargent]

I purchase another 4 star script, a political and comedy named Electric Heart.

I have 4 stars for production, we will film in LA.

Let’s cast it!


Electric Heart


Dir Paul Thomas Anderson, 885k
Prod Jackie Daman, 145k
Lead Adrien Brody, 2.53 mill
Love Jessica Biel, 2.17 mill
Villain Natalie Portman, 3.48 mill


I greenlight it.

It will take 11 months to do.

247 mill and 4000 screens.

I take out a loan of 500 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Last Quarter (Foreign Film Remake)



D. Peter Weir – 3
P. Claude Purdue – 5
Cate Blanchett – 4
Patrick Fugit -4
Ellen Page – 5
Claire Danes – 4
Franka Potente – 5


Appeal:

Star – 2
Story – 4
Character – 5
Genre – 2
Prod Budget – 1
SFX Budget – 2
Script to film – 5
Advertising – 4
Marketing – 4


Domestic Gross – 170 mill
Foreign – 297
Total – 468

Finally!

DVD and Blu Ray sales were more than 200 million

Revenue – 480
Cost – 275
Revenue – 205 mill

Yay!!!

I’m glad I released that now!

[Abe Sargent]

End of September


Cave Girl is done and screening at 91%; The Prisoner is screening at 88%

Flatwoods is filming

Getting Retired finished shooting

Degrassi is done writing.

I authorize a sequel for Last Quarter entitled Final Quarter

9 months and 2.2 mill to finish.

I slate Cave Girl for a Valentine’s Day release (Romantic Comedy after all). The Prisoner is put in an empty week (the only one) in December

[Abe Sargent]

Degrassi –

Shoot in LA

Saoirse Ronan, 285k
Jimmy Bennett, 89k
Mackenzie Vega, 89k
Jacob Kogan, 74k
Taylor Momsen, 50k

Dir. Johnathan Kasden, 158k; Producer Daryl Smith, 145k


9 months needed.

131 mill cost

[Abe Sargent]

On Foreign Soil


Dir. John Singleton - 3
Prod. Arlen Savant - 3
Ethan Hawke - 5
Rebecca Romjin - 5
Jude Law – 4

Appeal:
Star – 1
Story – 3
Character – 5
Genre – 2
Prod Bud – 5
SFX Bud – 5
Script to Film – 4
Adver – 5
Marketing – 3


(Another studio moved a film to compete with us on Halloween weekend)

Domestic – 88 mill
Foreign – 167
Total – 256

Domestic DVDs went THROUGH THE ROOF. 242 mill on domestic DVDs. 77 mill more in foreign market. Soundtrack sold 26 mill for 6 mill investment.


Revenue – 498 mill
Cost – 277 mill
Money Made – 220 mill


What’s interesting is that we made so much money off DVDs, soundtrack, ancillaries like video game rights, novelization, and yet didn’t do that well in the box office comparatively. Still, the project was a hit financially.

[Abe Sargent]

November

The Call of Cthulhu and Coupling are now filming

Moving out of shooting is Smallville and Lucifer’s Hammer

I spend 250 mill to repay half of our loan.

We have no release in Nov or Jan, and our next project isn’t complete until Mar, 2025, when we can release Smallville.


I slate Jagged Alliance for release on Labor Day Weekend. I want to claim it now. I slate Lucifer’s Hammer on the 4th of July week against a small exploitation film. Smallville is set for week 3 of March. Blair Mountain is scheduled for an unused week in June. Getting Retired for second week of December, 2025. Unused. All of the big weekends are taken by major projects. I slate Call of Cthulhu for Memorial Day weekend in 2026. I schedule Flatwoods for the 4th of July weekend that summer too. Finally, I slate Coupling for Aug, 3rd week – schools back, the final chance for all genres to get a boost. No one else has a release then, yet.

I have no scripts to greenlight. I purchase one”

I purchase Superstorm, a 4 star drama/tearjerker script with 5 star Intelligence, and pace, 1 star genre, 2 plot and 4 dialogue.

We will film it in LA.

Talent:

James Franco, 960k
Brittany Snow, 235k
Ben Affleck, 2.46mill
Mekhi Phifer, 375k
Matt Dillon, 1.73 mill

165k for Dir Baltazar Kormakur; 805k to reuse Claude Purdue, who produced by best grossing film

Total cost of project, currently, is 209 mill.

[Abe Sargent]

End of November

Filming is done on Blair Mountain. Writing is done on Liberty Valance. Steel Drivin’ Man has entered production.



The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

9 months to complete.

I give it 5 star production.


Jude Law, 4.18 mill
Scarlett Johansen, 10.56 mill
Orlando Bloom, 10.88 mill
Aaron Eckhart, 860k
Ashley Judd, 760k

(The major roles are above all are needed for sequel, and locked in)

Minor roles:

Franka Potente, 385k
Jason Statham, 910k
Ryan Phillipe, 810k
Lake Bell, 185k
Gerard Butler, 485k


Director, Peter Weir, 815k; Producer Howard Pillow, 405k


5 star country soundtrack

Total cost, with major marketing, 298 mill

I need a hit with The Prisoner. It will really help us out of the red and into the black

[Abe Sargent]

The Prisoner


D Jonathan Demme – 4
P Dwight, Ferten, 5
Daniel Craig – 5
Milla Jovovich – 4
Tobey Macguire – 5
Rob Brown – 4
Ben Affleck – 4
Michael Imperioli – 5
Ari Graynor – 5
Mod Def – 4
Adam Beach – 5


Appeal –

Star – 4
Story - 3
Character – 5
Genre - 5

Pro Bud – 2
SFX – None
Script to film – 5
Advertising – 4
Marketing - 3


Wow. Are you ready? You aren’t.

Domestic – 11 mill
Foreign – 20
Total 31 mill

DVD sales 52 mill and that’s it

Total Revenue – 69 mill
Costs – 286 mill
Result – minus 197 mill

I have no idea why that happened. Great script, great acting, great direction, great production, the critics liked it, it’s a good film, enough marketing and advertising, and yet – wow.

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 2025

Lots of other studios have been having difficulty too. For example, last month a film with Will Smith, Leo, and Matt Damon – 2 of the 5 biggest stars in Hollywood, and another top 25, the result was 163 mill total worldwide. Here’s another from last month directed by George Lucas. Starring Christian Bale (who’s a major movie star these days), Jake Gyllenhaal, Diane Keaton and Richard Gere, just 182 mill worldwide.


Degrassi and Canticle move to filming.
Jagged Alliance and Flatwoods move to post-production.


I purchase the movie rights for They Live, a domestic film from a while back, and send it out for a quick touch, 1 mill, 4 months

[Abe Sargent]

February

Eldorado Pictures released a remake of Boyz N Da Hood directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Ashton Kucher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christina Ricci and Jodie Foster. HAHAHA


Retirees – Lily Tomlin, Peter Fonda, Jane Alexander, Fred Willard, Terence Stamp


Script is ready for Avengers Assemble.

Ready for filming: Nightfall, Jeremiah, Promising Love, Electric Heart, Harry’s, Superstorm

Coupling and Cthulhu move to post-production



Greenlight Avengers Assemble

Shoot in Vancouver – it adds two months but reduces the cost. 5 star production and effects

The problem with casting this is we don’t have a lot of Black actresses available. I cast every one within 4 years of our lead, and I get one 5 star audition. Gabrielle Union. I have 5 4s as well, and none of these people wants to get locked down for the role. I widen my net, and cast actresses with no action experience. 9 auditions, several more options, and still none of the 4s and 5s wants the role after the audition. I don’t get it. This is a career defining role – star in a major big budget film? It’s tough, I widen my net further, by expanding the age talent can be. I finally cast a 4 star audition, Taraji P Henson.

I skip her for now and move to the Black Panther. I end up with Derek Luke for 285k after bigger names weren’t coming.

My villain, Graviton, Thomas Jane, 1.12 mill. I wanted to make this my big splash, big name, but the big names in the age group didn’t want the gig. I audition Tom Cruise at 5 stars, but then he wasn’t interested anymore.

Hawkeye will be Ryan Reynolds, 1.07 mill. He’s brilliant for the part, but I wanted others. He was willing to sign.

Black Knight is Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, a good cast. I’m happy with that. 535k

Firebird is Rhona Mitra, 235k. I offered to the Hispanic women (small number) and had a 5 star audition with Rosario Dawson, but no one wanted a contract after that, so I looked for someone with a 5 star casting who looked like they could be Bonita Juarez.

Moon Knight is Matt Damon, 37 mill, one of the biggest stars will give me some star quality here. I couldn’t get it elsewhere.

Grim Reaper – Cillian Murphy, 1.17m

Director – Jonathan Demme, 975k.
Producer – Santiago Triles, 175k


335 mill, 19 months

[Abe Sargent]

Nominations:

Adapted Screen play – The Prisoner, Last Quarter
Original Screenplay – Fearful Dreams
Supporting Actress – Ellen Page, Last Quarter; Franka Potente, Last Quarter; Mika Boorem, Fearful Dreams
Supporting Actor – Adam Beach, The Prisoner;
Best Actress – Anna Paquin, Hot Tamales; Cate Blanchett, Last Quarter;
Best Actor = None
Best Director – Doug Liman, Oil Me Up; Johnathan Demme, The Prisoner; Steven Soderbergh, Angry Truth
Best Picture – The Prisoner, Hot Tamales, Last Quarter, Angry Truth, Fearful Dream

A sweep of the best picture nominees wow!

[Abe Sargent]

Cave Gold

"www.laugh.co"
The Other Woman


Good comedy is about timing. Bad comedy is about repetition. Cave Girl is the latest movie from Centurion Studios. At first, they put out a lot of films that had black comedy elements and genre savvy. Most of their projects on the horizon are more focused on the past and the future with serious overtones. Today’s comedy is one of the last truly funny films the studio will be working on. How does their final comedy before the storm fare?

Cave Girl is the story of Broont, (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is dealing with the problem of finding a woman. Jaan (Julia Stiles), is the girl-next-cave who Broont soon fixes his eyes upon. They are joining by her brother (Ryan Gosling) and his ex-boyfriend (Ryan Reynolds). The combination of a bisexual love triangle between Reynolds, Gyllenhaal and Stiles is hilarious, especially when set against the era of cave people.

Harold Ramis’s job is to bring this talented cast into the negative 21st century by enhancing the film, and he does yeoman’s work. It’s not special, but it’s enough. Overall, the film is solid. It’s not a new hit of comedy, but its fresh and interesting. Ryan Gosling steals the show, he makes ordinary lines funny. Reynolds and Stiles are really on point, and Jake is adequate as the lead. The result is a very interesting story, but not anything that I would call Must See TV. I give it a B.

[Abe Sargent]

Cave Girl



Dir Harold Ramis 3
Prod Sophie Texlan 4
Jake Gyl – 3
Julia Stiles – 4
Ryan Gosling – 5
Ryan Reynolds – 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 2
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 151
Foreign – 264
Total – 417

Yay!

DVD sales yielded 124 mill and soundtrack 41 mill

Revenue – 409
Cost – 238

Profit – 171 mll

Back in black baby

[Izulde]

February

Eldorado Pictures released a remake of Boyz N Da Hood directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Ashton Kucher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christina Ricci and Jodie Foster. HAHAHA


W.T.F?!?!

[Abe Sargent]

March – John Hurt retires

Writing done on Blue Gender

Smallville done, screening at 79 - ick
Blair Mountain is screening at 98 – awesome

Filming done on Steel drivin Man

Shooting begins for Liberty Valance

I take Smallville to the editing room and get it to 85% from a pace and action edit. It was to be released this month, that ain’t happening

It now has a Week 4 May release


I spend 9 months to sequel Cave Girl into Cave Boy. We will spend the time making the script 5 stars all of the way across.

[Abe Sargent]

I borrow some more money, and move to green light Blue Gender


Filming in Mexico
State of the art sfx
5 star production and sfx

Yuji is Elijah Wood, 1.17 mill
Marlene is 12.4 mill Katherine Heigl
Joey – Ryan Gosling, 1.22 mill (dies)
Robert Bradley – James McAvoy, 1.2 mill (Dies)
Dice – 920k for Tyrese Gibson (I had a ton of good and great auditions, but no one wanted the part until this 4 star dude did). (Lives for next film)

Dir Rian Johnson, 305k
Prod Leona Butterfly, 825k

26 months to do, 355 mill to do

[Wolfpack]

W.T.F?!?!

Didn't you get the memo that whites will be in the minority by 2025 or something like that? "Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care what goes on in the OC...." :D

[Abe Sargent]

Academy Award Ceremony:


Best Screenplay Adaptation – Last Quarter, Centurion Studios
Best Original Screenplay – Room to Live, Hails Pictures
Best Supporting Actress – Franka Potente, Last Quarter, Centurion Studios
Best Support Actor – Adam Beach, The Prisoner, Centurion Studios
Best Actress – Anna Paquin, Hot Tamales, Centurion Studios
Best Actor - Sean Penn, Addicted to Pain, Burbage Studios
Best Director – Clint Eastwood, Riding my Latin Lover, Boston Pictures
Best Film – Last Quarter, Centurion Studios



Thanks to you all! Well, we said we would duplicate our success again, and we did. We continue to make films that are of the highest quality, and I want to tell all of the listeners out there that we pledge to continue to do everything we can to make smart pictures everyone can enjoy. Thank you so much for this honor!

[Abe Sargent]

Here is an update of our film status:



In Writing:


Torchwood
The Western Ocean
Pokemon
Mechwarrior
Dr. Who and the Sands of Time


They Live
Cave Boy (Sequel to Cave Girl)
Final Quarter



Finished Writing:

Four Governors


Pre-Production:


Stormbringer
Blue Gender
Avengers Assemble


Production:

Jeremiah
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
Nightfall
Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburger Stand


Superstorm
Promising Love
Electric Heart



Post-Production:

A Canticle for Leibowitz
Flatwoods
Steel Drivin’ Man
Lucifer’s Hammer
Coupling
Jagged Alliance
Degrassi Jr. High
The Call of Cthulhu


Getting Retired


Awaiting Release:

The Battle of Blair Mountain
Smallville

[Abe Sargent]

I look at getting Four Governors off the ground.





We will be filming in Vancouver, which adds two months and reduces production costs by a lot. Since most of the story takes place indoors, we won’t need to film on location in West Virginia.

Five star production across the board.


Dir. Steven Soderbergh, 2.7 mill
Prod. Dwight Ferten, 850k
Lead, Nathan Goff Jr; Guy Pearce, 1.1 mill
Buddy, Aretas B Fleming; Brad Pitt, 23.5 mill
Villain, Robert S Carr; Woody Harrelson, 750k
Maj Support, Gov. Wilson; Gary Oldman, 860k



I auditioned a ton of people for the main part, and many did well, but then weren’t interested. I went with the star of Brad Pitt so I could cast a lesser known actor as the lead.

Total Cost:

I green light the project, and it will take 6 months pre-production, 3 filming, and 3 post to be ready. We spent less than 25 mill in talent, 63 mill in production, 57 mill marketing is budgeted, 16 mill for print costs in 4000 screens, 73 mil P&A, 1.52 mill on a 5 star opera and orchestral soundtrack, and a loaded DVD.

257 million is the final cost for everything.

[Abe Sargent]

End of April

Actor Desmond Askew died in a hiking accident.


A lot of my projects have moved to the next level. Production is complete on Jeremiah, Harry’s, Promising Love, Superstorm, Electric Heart. They Live is done writing. Stormbringer has moved to filming. Coupling and Lucifer’s Hammer have finished.


We greenlight They Live:

Film in Mexico

4 star SFX


Dir. Anthony Minghella, 860k
Prod. Lisa Frooten, 665k
Lead Freddie Highmore, 400k
Love Interest Mischa Barton, 450k
Vil. Casey Affleck, 1.2 mill
Maj Sup Claire Daines, 750k
Maj Sup Kristen Stewart, 275k

Minor Roles – Lauren Lee Smith, Abbie Cornish, Cameron Bright, Kerry Washington


We greenlight the 240 mill for it

[Abe Sargent]

The Greatest Cape Blog


Most good sci-fi shows have a rabid fan base. Heck, most mediocre sci-fi shows have a rabid fan base. Any SF show that’s on TV for an extended period of time will tend to grab people. It will have a cult following. Despite all of that, Smallville has always seemed like the show that least tended towards cult-hit certification. It may have been the longest running sci-fi show in American Television history, but you don’t see Smallville websites, Smallville conventions, or more. Tom Welling isn’t identified every time he steps out of his house as Clark Kent.

Smallville was always a clever take on the DC universe and one of the most well-known and beloved super-heroes of all time. Despite the fervor that fans usually have for all things cape, it just seemed to be okay. Super hero films have been big money for a long time. The original Superman film made a ton of money, and Batman followed. Later, many Marvel and DC properties followed and it seemed every movie with a comics background was made of platinum. Most made tons of money despite poor casting or weak scripts. I mean, come on, Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider? Ben Affleck as Daredevil? Yeah.

Centurion Studios believes that comics films can still be gold after the entertainment industry rebooted a few years ago. Taking Smallville to the big screen is the first major super hero film in the last eight years. Will it be the success that Centurion hopes?

How do the cast portray the iconic characters we all know and love? What is the story like? As my readers know, I rarely share details like that, and I won’t here. What I can say is that I saw this film in media pre-screening and it is, in my opinion, one of the top ten best comic based films of all time. It’s not top five, and not in the running with films like The Dark Knight or Avengers 2, but it’s up there. See this film now!

[Abe Sargent]

Smallville

Dir. David Slade, 4 stars
Prod. Maria Ramsey, 5 stars
Clark Kent, Jake Gyl 3 stars
Lana Lang, Keira Knightley 5 stars
Colin Ferrell 3 stars
Patrick Fugit 5 stars
Anna Paquin 4
Ryan Gosling 5


Appeal:

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 1

Prod Budget – 4
SFX Budget – 5
Script-to-film – 4
Advertising Dollars - 5
Marketing Focus – 3


Are you ready?

Box Office Gross, Domestic - 414 million
Foreign – 787 mill

Total Box Office – 1.202 billion

We get half of that, plus DVD sales, and lots more. 208 mill in DVD sales. Then deduct costs and we made, total, 754 million net gain


And there is our hit. This is beyond big, and the highest grossing film since the boom.

[Abe Sargent]

June arrives. News!

Al Pacino is retiring

The Western Ocean has finished writing

Nightfall and Man who Shot are now out of Production. Steel Drivin’ Man is completed! (Testing at 97%), we schedule it for week 3 October.

I go ahead and schedule all of my films in post-production for dates long in the future.

I commission a sequel to Smallville – Smallville II: Graduation.


A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he enters his senior year at college.

Everybody is signed for the next sequel. We add Lois Lane as a minor supporting character. We hire the previous writer, and it will take 14 months to work on.

[Abe Sargent]

We get The Western Ocean going:


I increase the sound production. I envision The Western Ocean as a classic sprawling epic. We will be filming in and around Taiwan.

We five star everything.

I jack the marketing up to 80 million and 5250 screens; we have a five star soundtrack with orchestral, tribal, new age, and operatic tracks.

Dir. Alfonso Cuaron, 870k
Prod. Marshall Hipler, 120k

Now I need to cast a largely Asian set of roles. I have four Chinese roles to cast, one Sri Lankan and one of any race.



Major, Buddy – Ken Leung – 125k

Minor – Mark Dacascos, 130k


We do extensive casting and eventually go oversees and find:



Cao He
32
Male
Chinese


Born in Hong Kong, Cao He's parents were both lawyers, and he developed a taste for acting at a young age, and has been featured in many local productions. Action 5 stars, Comedy 3, Drama 5, Humility 3, Sex Appeal 4, Screen Presence 5, Work Ethic 4, Composure 3, Takes Direction 3

We cast him as Zheng He


We also cast for the supporting role of Ma Chan:

Kaden Ling
25
Male
Chinese

A third generation actor from the University of Chicago, Kaden has been working his way up the circuit towards respectability in acting.

Five star Drama, screen presence. Four star action. 3 star sex appeal, composure, takes direction, 2 star takes direction, humility and work ethic,


We ran out of auditions and are unable to finish casting this month.


I repay 550 mill in loans

[Abe Sargent]

June 10, 2025
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex V

Hello and welcome to another interview with the former West Virginian, James Essex, CEO of the newly formed Centurion Studios. During the last two years, Essex has announced five different movies to be made about stories set in West Virginia. Next week, the first of those, “The Battle of Blair Mountain” debuts.

As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia. We have Essex ready to answer a few questions from us in what is sure to be a busy week.


James, we always love hosting your interviews here at AHNet!

James: Hello! Thanks once more. You know I can’t get enough of talking with my fellow West Virginians.

AHNet: Before we get started with the Battle of Blair Mountain, what can you tell us about the other projects?

James: All four, Flatwoods, Steel Drivin’ Man, Four Governors, and Why I Left Harry’s All Night Hamburger Stand are in production of various stages. We’re very excited about them.

AHNet: Alright, let’s discuss Blair Mountain. Do you think it will do as well as Smallville did last month, breaking all records?

James: I don’t want to be unfair to Blair Mountain. It’s not the same sort of story as Smallville. That was a big scope super hero film, and we all know what that’s like. This is a Historical film, about real events. I would love to break 500 million gross total. But you can’t measure by the same yardstick.

AHNet: What is your take of the filme?

James: No spin – I believe this is the best film we’ve released so far, and everybody we’ve shown it to agrees. This is an amazing film. I’m proud to be associated with it. This is the sort of film no one was making until we came along, and it will b interesting to see what others thing.

AHNet: How closely does the story hew to reality?

James: It’s very close. As close as we could make it. My goal with some films is to sacrifice the source for the screen. Not this one. This was about telling a forgotten chapter in American history.

AHNet: It seems like it’s that time again. Thank you very much for agreeing to a return interview!

James: You know I'm always happy to talk with you fine folks!

[Abe Sargent]

The Battle of Blair Mountain



Dir James Mangold 3
Prod Brendan Faulkland 4
Adrian Brody – 5
James McAvoy – 4
Daniel Craig – 4
Helen Mirren – 5
Topher Grace – 4
Jason Staitham – 4
Keifer Sutherland - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 3
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 4


Domestic – 195
Foreign – 371
Total – 566

Awesome! The 2nd best total gross since the shake up!

DVD sales yielded 301 mill and that bluegrass soundtrack 56 mill – that a huge pair of hits for those

Revenue – 689
Cost – 369

Profit – 320 mill


This is a big relief. Our first epic historical of our own was a success, and our first WV film was a huge success.

[Abe Sargent]

July, 2025


The writing on Final Quarter has completed. Degrassi Jr High and Jagged Alliance are done. DJH is screening at 97, and JA at 90 (Battle of Blair was 99, fyi).

I need to finish casting The Western Ocean.

I cast Colin Farrell for 8.78 mill and the major supporting role of the Pirate Captain.

I want Naveen Andrews in the Sri Lanka role of the primary villain, but he’s not interested.

We have to discover a new actor.


Prabha Natarajan
35
Male
Indian


Born in Mumbai, Prabha’s parents immigrated to Canada when he was four. Instead of following his family’s plan to be a doctor or scientist, he chose a life of acting. He is well known in the community theatres of Toronto.

Everything is three star save Drama at 4, action at 4, and screen presence at 5,

We greenlight the film and it will take 7 months in pre production, and 3 each in the other two stages.

[Abe Sargent]

Final Quarter


Shoot in Mexico, add really good sound. 4 star SFX

As you’ll recall, this was a Cate Blanchett project, that came with her as star, and Peter Weir as director, Claude Perdue as Prod, Franka Potente as one of the minor supporting roles.


Overview:

A girl with a miserable life meets a mysterious man named, Adam who seems very familiar to her. After an accident the girl finds herself locked in a mansion with no memory of her life except for Adam. She must now find out why who she is and why she's there.


I also pick up:

Love Interest: James Franco, 1.1 mill
Villain: Ellen Page, . 1.74 mill
Major Supporting – Eliza Dushku, 450k



It will take 5, 3, and 6 months in each stage.

[Abe Sargent]

CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE



Today, CEO of Centurion Studios Braham Essex announced that they would be creating a film project based around the American Revolutionary War. Tentatively called Revolution, this film will be looking at the events that occurred outside of the US theater, and from the perspective of the Spanish, Dutch, British, and French. It’s a new take on an old topic.

Centurion Studios prides itself on producing some of the most intelligent films made in the last five years. It brings new and innovate projects to the screen from all over the world.

[Abe Sargent]

Revolution




After the founding fathers declare independence, war against the British begins. Slowly, other European powers position themselves to assist the fledgling nation against the British military juggernaut.


War, Historical
All Males and All Females target audience

Location – Europe Also America too, but more in Europe
Major City, Foothills

3 star plot twists, 5 star everything else

No foul language or love scenes, three stars of violence

Scope five stars, as is sets, pyro. Three star sfx and robotics is not needed at all.


The roles:

Lead - Raphael de Boer, 38, high profile Dutch merchant in St. Eustatius trading the American rebels weapons, food and medicine for their war efforts Diff – 85, dies at end of movie, lead, heroic, needs two stars of stunts

Major Support – Stefan D’Avingnon, 30, French diplomat that is working as the mediator and unofficial ambassador between the Americans and French, and helps to get the Treaty of Aranjuez signed as part of the film. 85 diff, lives, drama oriented, lead eccentric

Villain – Admiral Sir George Rodney, 59, Admiral who beat the Spanish off Cape St. Vincent and then captured St. Eustatius due to personal greed, and not the war. Both of those events are in the film. 80 diff, 2 stars of stunts, action and drama, conniving and intimidating.


Major Support - Don Diego de Gardoqui, 43, major supporter of rebels, later named first ambassador to America from Spain. Of the allies that join America, the Spanish make out the best. The Dutch are blasted and France’s results are uneven. Except for a major naval loss, Spain gains territory (Minorca) and ends well. Lead, heroic, dramatic role, 80 diff,

Major Support - Benjamin Franklin, 70, diff 75, drama, support, heroic

Minor Roles:

Honoré Gabriel Riqueti – Diff 70, 28
Pierre Beaumarchais – Diff 70, 45
Juan de Lángara – Diff 75, 42
Jerónimo Grimaldi – Diff 65, 57
Empress Catherine II of Russia – Diff 80, 51


The plot of the film involves negotiations, battles in naval warfare and in St. Eustatius, the spying of French folks, the forming of the League of Armed Neutrality, and more.

I jack up the roles to 10 each of supporting and minor roles, with three stars of stunts. It will take 15 months to write. The first two roles are a-historical. We wanted characters that could portray the right places and move from court to court and colony to colony, and no one really did that of worth, so we made them up, the rest will be accurately portrayed.



I pay off the rest of my loan

[Abe Sargent]

The Hammer of God
TheNOW.net



With apologies to Arthur C Clarke for reusing his title, this is the only way we can title a movie this grandiose. CEO of Centurion Studios Essex discussed the importance of his latest film, Lucifer’s Hammer. As an apocalyptic film, it shows all aspects of the comet that strikes Earth. It shows the beginning, by introducing characters, and displaying the growing doubt many have about the comet that is getting closer and closer all of the time. Then it shows the actual event as the comet strikes to Earth. We see people trying to survive. Perhaps the most harrowing scene is when two main characters are driving their car on the railroad tracks, which are elevated and just under the level of water, so the main character has to keep the vehicle on the rails, and one spill to a side will likely result in them being stranded. Then, we see society after Hammerfall, and what happens. We get the story from the beginning to the end.

This is just a superb acting job by many of the cast. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a few of these names again come awards time. The film is definitely well made, and the script has a lot of potential which Director Alfonso Cuaron does not squander. Two films in a row by Centurion Studios blasted the records for highest grossing film in the era of the credit, and now, we’ll see what happens with this third one. In a late minute decision, the studio pushed the marketing massively and increased the screens by 750. Will that have an impact on the bottom line? Or will this be another Prisoner?



This article is copyright 2025 by TheNOW.net, the place to find all of the news that’s NOW.

[Abe Sargent]

Lucifer’s Hammer


Dir Alfonso Cuaron 4
Prod Theodore Levy 4
Ethan Hawke– 5
Charlize Theron – 5
Daniel Day-Lewis – 5
Alfred Molina – 3
Gary Oldman – 4
Michael Pena – 4
Bridget Moynihan - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 2
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 3
Marketing 3


Domestic – 297
Foreign – 567
Total – 864

Wowzers!

DVD sales yielded 350 mill and soundtrack 88 mill

Revenue – 946
Cost – 373

Profit – 573mll


Yet another major hit, and now the second highest grossing film since the reboot.

[Abe Sargent]

August

News – MechWarrior is done writing. Superstorm and Electric Heart and ready for release and screening at . Avengers Assemble is now filming. (84 and 80 respectively)

I play around with five edits of Electric Heart, but I can’t get it up. It takes five months to do that, but it’s not neither film is slated for release until early 2026


I authorize a sequel of Lucifer’s Hammer called The Hammer of Purgatory. We are adding Rachel Armitage as a new villain and Rev. Armitage’s daughter and Heath Yancy as another person on the ranch. It’ll take 14 months to do.

[Abe Sargent]

Mechwarrior

Great sound
Shoot in Vancouver
5 star state of the art SFX


Dir. Ang Lee, 6.3 mill
Prod. Clay Craggy, 2.7 mill

Cilian Murphy, 760k, Anton Ridzik
Jessica Biel, 1.15 mill, Sgt. Rachel Hammersmith
Harrison Ford, 16.8 mill, Pavel Ridzik
Matt Damon, 22.65 mill, Justin Xiang
Michelle Yeoh, 350k, Candace Liao,
Chow Yun-Fat, Maximillian Liao, 950k
Jamie Foxx, Col. Adam Kingsley, 6.4 mill
Kelly Hu, 135k, Col Li Xiang,


I wanted Zhang Ziyi for either Candance Liao or Xiang Li. She came at a 5, but was not interested in singing. I had to decide between a 3 star Christian Bale or a 5 star lesser name. I wanted some high auditions like DiCaprio, but they didn’t want to sign, ever after I jacked up the marketing budget.

I greenlight the film for


The cost of this film is 419 mill, for sfx, talent, high levels of production, a large marketing budget, and more. We’ll see if I get the return I need.

[Abe Sargent]

"www.Moffett.uk"

…and now the eagerly awaited remake of Stephen’s cherished hits the silver screen this August.

[Abe Sargent]

Coupling


Dir Jason Reitman 3
Prod Lester Eastport 4

Jimmy Fallon – 4
Julia Stiles – 5
Jon Heder – 5
Katherine Heigl – 5
Keri Russell – 4
Casey Affleck - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 1
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 98
Foreign – 187
Total – 286

Not too bad

DVD sales yielded 169 mill and soundtrack 29 mill

Revenue – 361
Cost – 232

Profit – 129 mll



Making money is what it’s all about. I don’t need every film to knock it out of the park if we can do this instead.

[Abe Sargent]

September

This month, two films are being released by us.

News – Both Torchwood and Dr. Who have finished script writing. Jeremiah and The Man who Shot.. are both done and ready for release. They are currently screening at 82 and 89.



New Script idea of mine:


Lone Wolf: Flight from the Dark

After all of the Kai Lords are assassinated on the eve of a sneak attack, the last of the Kai must slip through enemy lines to warn the King before it is too late.

Fantasy, Children, primary audience males 12-17
Three star violence, no love scenes or language

4 star Plot Twist, 5 star everything else

4 star scope, sets, 3 star robotics, 5 star sfx


Lead - Lone Wolf, 4 star stunts
Buddy – Banedon, no stunts
Villain – Vonotar, no stunts

No other casted roles, 15 minor roles and 5 very small supporting ones. Three star stunts


It should take 15 months to script

[Abe Sargent]

Doctor Who and the Sands of Time

5 star standard SFX, robotics, pyro, sets, and good sound.

Dir. Coen Brothers, 3.35 mill
Prod. Angela Saccone, 610k

Hugh Jackman, 8.56 mill
Anna Paquin 1.42 mill
Ewan McGregor – 3.7 mill
Rachel Weisz – 1.12 mill
Ryan Philippe – 710k


I must have a British Doctor and Villain (The Valeyard). Everybody else can by anything. I tried hard, but all of the brits I auditioned didn’t want to do it or had bad auditions. I went with Aussie Hugh Jackman instead.

My prod assist auto-casts – Cole Hauser, Paul Dano, Brittany Murphy, Olivia Thirlby, Carrie-Anne Moss

I green light the 17 month production with a budget of 409 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Torchwood



To be filmed in Mexico
Great sound, 5 star stuff all around

Dir Christopher Nolan, 3.3 mill
Prod Maria Ramsey – 560k

Daniel Craig, 10 mill
Natalie Portman, 3.48 mill
Hugh Grant, 2.86 mill
Casey Affleck, 1.23 mill
Eva Mendes , 410k
Sean Faris, 60k


I wanted an Asian person for Tosh’s role that went to Eva. I auditioned every single Asian actress in a 20 year range, and most did very well but none wanted the role, so I opened it up to Black and Hispanic actresses, and I found Eva. Hugh and Daniel were two of my top choices for the Doc, but they didn’t want to sign.

With a production schedule of 17 months as well, this is greenlit. 339 mill

[Abe Sargent]

"www.trolly.com"


And with very few films this month from other film companies, Centurion Studios is taking a new first step. They are the first company in the new era of movie making to release two films in one month. One is a war film at the beginning of August, entitled Jagged Alliance. The other is a kid’s film, Degrassi Junior High, released at the end of the month. No one knows what to expect with these films, because releasing two from the same stable is not a strategy that has been employed by the other seven studios. Will it work? Stayed tuned to Trolly, where we tell you all of the entertainment news.

[Abe Sargent]

Jagged Alliance


Dir Brian da Palma 4
Prod Angela Saccone 4

Viggo Mortensen – 5
Jessica Alba –3
Darryl Hannah – 4
Joaquin Phoenix – 5
Brendan Fraser – 4
Cillian Murphy – 5
Lena Headley – 3
Kate Boxworth - 4
Bokeem Woodbine – 3
Vin Diesel - 3

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 3
Prod 4
SFX = 5
Script to Film 4
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 203
Foreign – 386
Total – 590

Great stuff again

DVD sales yielded 289 mill and soundtrack 58mill

Revenue – 710
Cost – 363

Profit – 346 mll

Another great film . What will our teen drama do?

[Abe Sargent]

Degrassi Jr. High



Dir Jonathan Kasdan 3
Prod Daryl Smith 4

Saoirse Ronan – 5
Jimmy Bennett – 4
Mackenzie Vega – 4
Jacob Kogan - 5
Taylor Momsen – 3

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 151
Foreign – 288
Total – 439

Another hit!

DVD sales yielded 343 mill and soundtrack 44 mill. A huge DVD hit for the kids!

Revenue – 638
Cost – 289

Profit – 349 mll


We’re in the money! We’re in the money!

[Abe Sargent]

October

News – Four Governors and They Live have begun to shoot. Canticle and Getting Retired are finished and Stormbringer has finished shooting. I authorize an edit and increased Getting Retried from 75 to 84. That’s good


I have two open film slots to look at. I want to sequel Jagged Alliance for sure.


Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire


The former owners of the rich mines in Arulco want them back and they are willing to shed blood. They’ve launched several attacks from their bases on the nearby Island of Tracona. Our mercenaries must infiltrate the island and destroy them.



11 months for the sequel. I jacked the intel up another star.


Degrassi: 8th Grade

We should have another script in 4 months, since I am changing little from the first one.

[Abe Sargent]

A Star is Born
"www.findet.net"

After failing to find a lead for their latest film, Centurion Studios decided to cast their net wide to find the best actor to play the part of John Henry in their biopic Steel Drivin’ Man. They discovered Raymond Jenkins and cast him as the lead. How does a new actor do in his first role at all, let alone starring?

He does as well as could be expected. While he certainly doesn’t knock it out of the park or even turn in an impressive acting job, his work suffices. While we have no times of acting brilliance we also don’t have any bone head moves either, and he can slide into the role without too much of a problem.

It could have been better, and it could have been worse. We’ll see what he does in later pictures, but for now, Raymond Jenkins can sit back, relax, and enjoy his first professional acting gig.

[Abe Sargent]

Steel Drivin’ Man


Dir Richard Linklater 3
Prod Holly Mustlow 4

Raymond Jenkins – 3
Johnathan Rhys-Meyers– 4
Clive Owen – 5
Ziyi Zhang – 4
Ansel Mount – 5
Chiwetel Ejiofor 5

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 1
Script to Film 4
Advertising 5
Marketing 5




Domestic – 113
Foreign – 217
Total – 330

I like making money with my historical, especially my WV ones. We’ll see if Four Governors can compete with Steel Drivin’ Man and Battle of Blair Mountain. We did decently in theaters, but just 183 in DVD and 33 in soundtrack slows us down. We basically came out even.

Revenue – 410
Cost – 400

Profit – 10 mill


I don’t mind holding our serve occasionally, especially considering how much we just made. We went from just a few hundred million to 1.8 bill in the bank after paying off a 1.2 bill loan off.

[Abe Sargent]

November

Only one project changes – Promising Love is ready for release. 88% screen. The first film not by us to eclipse the 500 mill mark was released by a competitor.



November 2, 2025
Almostheaven.net

Interview with James Essex VI

Hello and welcome to another interview with the former West Virginian, James Essex, CEO of the newly formed Centurion Studios. During the last two years, Essex began five films about stories set in West Virginia. Two of them have already been released. Today he joins AH.net with news about a sixth project, “Harpers Ferry.”

As many of you know, AH-Net brings you the most up to date information on our favorite state, West Virginia. We have James online to announce his latest film project.


James, we always love hosting your interviews here at AHNet!

James: Heya Heya! Thanks once more. You know I can’t get enough of making these films about good ol’ WV.

AHNet: So let’s talk shop!

James: One of the films I’m passionate about are these great historical epics that tell stories in new ways. We see that with Revolution, Blair Mountain, Steel Drivin’ Man and others. This is something I really want to continue, and John Brown is an amazing choice for another film.

AHNet: How much of Brown’s story do you intend to tell?

James: We’ll start with Bleeding Kansas, to set the scene. Then we’ll move into the meat of the film in the planning of the raid on Harpers Ferry, the raid itself, and later his trial and hanging in Charles Town, WV.

AHNet: While we have you here, what happened with Steel Drivin’ Man? We hear that you basically broke even on it.

James: We made a great film, put 400 million into it believing in the project, and made 410 million. It may not be a lot of money, but we did make money. A lot of people got enjoyment and education out of it, and now millions of people have it on DVD to watch anytime. I’m happy with that result.

AHNet: It seems like it’s that time again. Thank you very much for agreeing to a return interview!

James: You know I'm always happy to talk with you fine folks!

[Abe Sargent]

Harpers Ferry

4 star sets, pyro, no sfx or robotics needed. 3 star violence, no love scenes or foul language. 3 star plot twists, 5 star everything else.

John Brown, 55
Frederick Douglass, support, 39
Hugh Forbes, villain, 35
Col. Robert E. Lee, support, 52,
Watson Brown, 23, support
Oliver Brown, 21, support

Fifteen months to write.

[Abe Sargent]

A Canticle for the Future
"www.syfy.ca"

When Centurion Studios announced they were going to adapt A Canticle for Leibowitz to the big screen, fandom was of two minds. Some loved it, and wondered why it had taken so long. Others thought the book too literary for the changes that would need to be made for adaptation.

Now that the film is about to be released, we were one of many media and blog writers invited for an early screening. Let me tell you, this film is true to the subject matter. As someone who has read Canticle twice, it’s one of the most sincere adaptations of a science fiction novel ever. If you had worries, don’t.

All of the actors do really good or marvelous jobs acting, and there’s not a stale note to be seen or heard. It’s a well-acted piece, and the dialogue and pace are all quite good. This film has the budget, the special effects, and the acting to really out perform most science fiction films, and you are going to love it. We just hope we can win the rights to show it on our networks! It’s a solid A for me.

[Abe Sargent]

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Dir David Fincher 3
Prod Arthur Sparks 4

Guy Pearce – 4
James McAvoy - 4
George Clooney - 5
Josh Hartnett - 5
Jim Caviezel – 5


Star 3
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 2
Prod 4
Script to Film 5
SFX 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 211
Foreign – 401
Total – 612

Another 500+ grosser, and that’s strong stuff continuing for fun.

DVD sales yielded 265 mill and soundtrack 61 mill

Revenue – 686
Cost – 360

Profit – 326 mll


Another hit folks!

[Abe Sargent]

December 2025

News – Cave Boy is done writing. Blue Gender has moved to filming.



We get Cave Boy ready (the sequel to Cave Girl)

Film in Vancouver

I spend 4 stars everywhere and 51 mill in below the line costs. Now to casting:

Dir Doug Liman, 1.2 mill
Prod Alaine Clay, 900k

Jake reprises his role as the star
Julia Styles agrees to reprise her role as well
For 1.1 mill, Jonah Hill will be our new villain
Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as well

We greenlight it

It will be ready in 13 months

[Abe Sargent]

The Greatest Cape Blog


News from Centurion Studios today is that they have commissioned a film adaptation of popular independent comic Invincible. Out of print for eight years since writer Kirkman’s death, Invincible has become one of the most well loved series. It has never been adapted for another format, and CEO Braham Essex believes it is a great property for film.

[Abe Sargent]

We get a new script ready

Invincible

Action/Superhero
Present Day
World Domination is at stake
Four star plot twists, five star everywhere else
Three star violence, no foul language, love scenes
Four star sets, sfx, pyro, robotics, scope

Lead, Invincible, 18, heroic, 2 stars of stunts
Love, Atom Eve, 20, heroic, 2 stars of stunts
Villain, Angstrom Levy, 30, cruel, no stunts, not needed for sequel
Support, Omni-Man, 40, heroic, intimidating, 2 stars of stunts, sequel
Support, William Clockwell, 18, support, friend,

15 months to write


We have four films scheduled for release in the next two months. In December, we have Getting Retired in week 2 and The Man who Shot Liberty Valance in week 4. Promising Love is the first film of the new year, and ten we follow with Jeremiah on the third week.

In order to get through the next few months with some degree of speed, I’m going to push through with none of the normal articles about films that are getting written.

[Abe Sargent]

Getting Retired


Dir Chris Weitz 4
Prod Martin Laster 4

Amy Adams – 5
Radha Mitchell – 4
Mark Wahlberg – 5
Kyra Sedgewick – 4
Casey Affleck – 4
Cole Houser – 4
Eliza Dushku – 4
Anson Mount - 4

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 3
Marketing 5


Domestic – 67
Foreign – 48
Total – 115

Ouch

DVD sales yielded 78 mill and soundtrack 12 mill

Revenue – 159
Cost – 294

Profit – -134 mill

We don’t have many films that lose money. That’s a financial blow. Let’s see how the other film this month did.

[Abe Sargent]

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

Dir Peter Weir 4
Prod Howard Pillow 4

Jude Law – 4
Scarlett Johanson – 3
Orlando Bloom - 4
Aaron Eckhart – 5
Ashley Judd – 3
Franka Potente – 5
Jason Statham – 5
Ryan Phillippe – 4
Lake Bell – 5
Gerard Butler - 4

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 2
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 204
Foreign – 39
Total – 243

Such a potential in domestic dropped by horrible foreign markets

DVD sales yielded 169 mill and soundtrack 27 mill

Revenue – 350
Cost – 347

Profit – 3 mill

That’s another film that basically just spun in place cash wise.

[Abe Sargent]

January 2026 and a new year is here

News: Avengers Assemble, Four Governors, and They Live have finishing filming. Dr. Who has begun it. Harry’s is complete with 93% screening.


We need two new scripts:

After the wild success of their book Lucifer’s Hammer, let’s mine them again.


The Mote in God’s Eye

After building a massive empire that spans star systems, humanity finally makes first contact with an alien species that is wholly unlike what they expected.


Future time and location
World Domination, sci-fi/space travel genres.

Five star everything

2 stars violence, 1 star love, no language

Scope 5, set 4, robotics 5, pyro 3, sfx 4


Cmr Roderick Harold, 40, male, lead heroic, no stunts, sequel, diff 90
Dr. Sandra Liddell Leonova, 38, female, love interest, no stunts, diff 85, sequel yes, nerd
Horace Hussein Bury, 35, male, villain, diff 85, sequel (becomes main character of next novel, much char development done for him)
Capt. Bruno Cziller, 42, male, diff 75, sequel needed, support
Dr. Anthony Horvath, 50, male, diff 70, not needed for sequel, major support

Arkley Kelley, minor support, 30, diff 65, not needed, 2 star stunts

8 support roles, 19 minor ones, 2 stars

15 months needed for script

[Abe Sargent]

Red vs Blue

Action/Sci-Fi and Dark
Future



Everything 5 stars
No love scenes, 3 star language and violence

3 star scope, 4 star robotics, 3 star sfx, 5 star sets, 2 star pyro


Church, lead, dies, needed for sequel, 30, diff 80, offbeat, 2 star stunts
Tex, love interest, needed for sequel, 30, diff 85, 3 star stunts, heavy intimidating
Sarge, “villain”, self-righteous, aggressive, 50, diff 70, 2 star stunts, sequel
Grif, lead, offbeat, major support, sequel needed, 1 star stunt, diff 75, 25 years old
Simmons, 33, diff 70, sequel needed, 2 stars stunts, support, tough

Minor roles:

Donut, 30, diff 75, support and eccentric, 2 stars of stunts, sequel needed
Tucker, 28, diff 70, lead, crazed, sequel, 2 stars of stunts
Caboose, 28, diff 90, friend, simple, 2 stars, and a sequel needed

Only 3 other support roles needed and no minors ones. That’ll be Vic, Sheila, and Lopez

[JonInMiddleGA]

lead, dies, needed for sequel,

This almost made me LOL.

edit: Hopefully the sequel can only be Griffball: The Movie

[Abe Sargent]

Promising Love, our 25th film

Dir Sam Mendes 4
Prod Arlen Savant 4

Al Pacino – 4
Michael Douglas – 5
Joan Allen - 5
Meg Ryan – 4
Sigourney Weaver – 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 3
Prod 2
Script to Film 4
SFX 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 83
Foreign – 157
Total – 240


DVD sales yielded 94 mill and soundtrack 21 mill

Revenue – 264
Cost – 317

Profit – -52 mill

Pacino’s last film was not a hit. Ah well. Let’s see what our big hope will do.

[Abe Sargent]

This almost made me LOL.

edit: Hopefully the sequel can only be Griffball: The Movie

If you've seen Red v Blue, then you know what's going on, otherwise, yeah, it may seem odd! Heh

[Abe Sargent]

This next film is an adaptation of the original comic, not an adaptation of the TV show which was an adaptation of the comic book.

Jeremiah


Dir. Christopher Nolan, 4
Prod. Harvey Salliman, 5

Tobey Macguire –5
Kate Beckinsale – 5
Ryan Gosling - 4
Mos Def – 5
Ellen Page – 5

Star 4
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 2
Prod 5
Script to Film 5
SFX 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 4


Domestic – 190
Foreign – 362
Total – 552

Another 500 mill film!

DVD sales yielded 209 mill and soundtrack 56 mill

Revenue – 616
Cost – 361

Profit – 254 mill

Whew, back into the black baby!

[Abe Sargent]

February


News – Several folks have retired including Nick Nolte, Patrick Stewart, Martin Sheen, Scott Glenn, Faye Dunaway, Jessica Walter and Julie Christie.

Degrassi: 8th Grade has finished writing. The Call of Cthulhu is at 92% and done. Final Quarter, Mechwarrior and The Western Ocean have begun filming.


The Oscar Nominations are in. I’m listed ours


Best Movie – Smallville, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and Lucifer’s Hammer
Best Director – Chris Weisz, Getting Retired; David Slade, Smallville


We have no other nominations. (Remember we are competing against 7 other studios)


I up the marketing on this month’s film, Superstorm, a drama/tearjerker.

[Abe Sargent]

We have two holes for films. I authorize a sequel for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 2


I change some things around, and up the quality of the script by two stars in pace to take 9 months to complete.


I greenlight Degrassi 8th Grade easily. It takes like 30 seconds, because every person returned from the first film under a sequel contract. We are filing in LA, and the film will be ready in 9 months. I schedule it for Spring Break, March 2027.


I want another Historical Epic. I really like doing them, they flesh out my studio with films besides action, sci-fi, fantasy and horror stuff. What interesting story is still out there? Instead, I authorize a third sequel of Smallville, to be done at roughly the same time as the first film.

Smallville: The College Years

I move Lois Lane from minor support to major, and sliding her to bad girl intimidating from heavy intimidating. It will take 11 months

[Abe Sargent]

Superstorm

Dir Baltasar Kormakur 3
Prod Claude Purdue 4

James Franco – 4
Brittany Snow – 4
Ben Affleck - 4
Mekhi Phifer – 5
Matt Dillon – 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 1
Prod 1
Script to Film 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 73
Foreign – 139
Total – 212

Ah well

DVD sales yielded 162 mill and soundtrack 21 mill

Revenue – 305
Cost – 292

Profit – 13 mill

Another of those that sort of struck even.

[Abe Sargent]

March

Torchwood is now shooting


New Script?

Coupling 2, let’s authorize a sequel.


Electric Heart

Dir Paul Thomas Anderson 3
Prod Jackie Daman 4

Adrian Brody – 5
Jessica Biel – 4
Natalie Portman - 3

Star 1
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 2
Script to Film 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 87
Foreign – 111
Total – 198

Sigh.

DVD sales yielded 263 mill and soundtrack 20 mill

Revenue – 390
Cost – 281

Profit – 109 mill

Good profit was made from incredible DVD sales. Yay!

[Abe Sargent]

April 2026 – The Oscar Ceremony begins.

The acting awards go to Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Damon, Anna Paquin and Christina Ricci.

Clint Eastwood wins the Best Director prize.

However, we manage to pick up an Oscar with Best Picture, Lucifer’s Hammer.


Thanks once again for such an honor. A lot of people talking about the disappointing season we had with few nominations compared to previous years, but they had the wrong outlook. Every single nomination is an honor. A victory is a rare privilege, and I want to thank each and every one of you tonight.


News: Four Governors – 94%, Flatwoods, also 94% and both are looking very good. We slated Four Governors for this month’s release.

[Abe Sargent]

Nibelungenlied



Historical Myth
2 star love scenes, no language, 3 star violence

4 star scope, sets five, pyro 2, sfx 3, no robotics

Siegfried, 25, diff 85, heroic, dies, not needed for sequel, stunts 3
Kriemhild, 18, diff 80, love interest, sweet, needed for sequel, no stunts
Brunhild, villain, 26, diff 80, self-righteous, intimidating, stunts 2
Gunther, 28, diff 70, sequel, friend, aggressive, one star of stunts
Hagen, 40, diff 75, support tough, one star stunts

In order to focus on these characters, the rest of the film backs off others and reduces them to smaller roles.

Tragic Ending

23 total smaller roles with 2 star stunts

15 months to write, just like normal

[Abe Sargent]

Four Governors


Dir Stephen Soderburgh 4
Prod Dwight Ferten 5

Guy Pearce – 4
Brad Pitt – 5
Woody Harrelson - 5
Gary Oldman – 4

Star 5
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 2
Script to Film 4
Advertising 5
Marketing 1


Domestic – 171
Foreign – 299
Total – 470

Not bad at all!

DVD sales yielded 186 mill and soundtrack 47 mill

Revenue – 508
Cost – 288

Profit – 219mill

Another hit!

People are liking my historicals. We opened on Easter weekend, which is big movie, against some minor exploitation film, and we won.

[Abe Sargent]

May

News – Filming complete on Final Quarter, Blue Gender, and The Western Ocean. Pokemon’s script is done. Degrassi 8th grade has begun production.



The Yellow Sign


Horror
1890’s


1 star foul language, 2 violence


No pyro or robotics needed, sets 4 star, sfx 3 star

Mr Scott, 31, male, diff 75, lead, off beat
Love interest, Tessie Reardon, 20, female, diff 70, innocent
The King in Yellow, villain, 40,

All of the other roles are minor and not cast by me



All right, it’s time.

[Abe Sargent]

The Call of Cthulhu

Dir Mike Newell 4
Prod Vic Pakson 4

Christian Bale – 4
Edward Norton – 5
Sean Penn - 5
Jeremy Irons - 4
Aaron Eckhart – 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 3
Advertising 5
Marketing 4


Domestic – 150
Foreign – 287
Total – 437

Not bad. I wanted more, but I’ll take it.

DVD sales yielded 185 mill and soundtrack 43 mill

Revenue – 486
Cost – 442

Profit – 44 mill

Well, I didn’t make much. It was worth a shot.

[Abe Sargent]

June

News – Torchwood and Dr. Who are both done with filming. Screening at 96%, Nightfall is ready for release.

I go ahead and authorize a sequel for Call. Let’s see what happens with it.



The Shadow Over Innsmouth




Richard Olmstead, lead, nerd, everything else the same from Call (diff, lives, not needed, no stunts, etc)
Barnabas Marsh in the villain
There is no love interest.
Zadok Allen is in a major supporting role, dies, yadda yadda

No one else needed

We massage it in a few places, such as many more extras, and then send it out for an 11 month rewrite and sequel.

[Abe Sargent]

Pokemon

Five star state of the art sfx
I jack up the sound and increase production across the board to 5 stars

We will be filming in Mexico


Dir, Wes Craven, 2.2 mill – he really wanted to do it
Prod. Suzette Warrington, 315k

Ash, Jacob Kogan, 125k
Misty, Makenzie Vega, 125k
James, Ioan Gruffudd, 230k
Brock, Rob Brown, 310k (yes, we decided that Brock is Black)
Jessie, Josh Hartnett, 1.3 mill

Apparently, the original tv script had Jessie as a male, and I forgot to change it. Ah well


It should take 20 months to complete, and we jacked up marketing until it will show on 6000 screens. I slated it for release on Spring break in 2028.

Anyway, let’s move back to some articles again

[Abe Sargent]

Harry’s Houdini
www.syfy.ca

Most of the science fiction properties that Centurion Studios has been licensing are known to fans of science fiction. They knew A Canticle for Leibowitz, Nightfall, Lucifer’s Hammer, and The Mote In God’s Eye. Even though it won awards as recently as the 1980s a lot of fans didn’t know Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers. It’s not part of the commonly discussed and read canon of fans.

The short story is about a teenager who works at the Hamburger stand in Sutton, West Virginia. After working for a while, and gaining the trust of the employees, he is moved to the late night shift. Here he encounters aliens, spaceships, and new forms of currency. Apparently, in every dimension, the one constant is this hamburger stand at this location in WV. Eventually, tired of small town life, our hero must choose between staying in central WV all of his life, or hitching a one-way ride with travelers and leaving his dimension for good.

The story is quite well done. The combination of teen drama with hard science fiction will make fans happy. While the acting is adequate or a little better, there is something about this film that grabs you. It’s not the best SF film ever, and it’s not even the best Centurion Studio film, but it’s fun from beginning to end, without any boring or slow parts at all. There’s something to be said for that. I give it a strong B+.

[Abe Sargent]

Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers


Dir Frank Darabont 3
Prod Vince Peyer 4

Anton Yelchin – 3
Daniel Radcliffe – 3
Val Kilmer 4
Patrick Dempsey - 4
Owen Wilson – 5

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 4
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 641
Foreign – 817
Total – 1.458 billion

Wow. If you were going to tell me that this was going to be the biggest selling film of all time, I would have told you that you’re crazy.

DVD sales yielded 908 mill and soundtrack 161 mill

Revenue – 2 billion
Cost – 358

Profit – 1.648 billion

BOOOOOOM

That is a lot of money

[Abe Sargent]

July

News – Writing complete on Coupling 2, Cave Boy is now filming, Mechwarrior is done with that, and They Live is ready for release and screening at 91%.


I know have 5.5 billion dollars in the bank


I greenlight Coupling 2 with no changes at all, and I keep everybody the same from the first film. Easy peasey!


Since Degrassi 2 is filming, I go ahead and authorize Degrassi: Ninth Grade.


We add the supporting role of Tim to the movie. 11 months to write

[Abe Sargent]

The Two Billions


In the past five years of New Hollywood, several actors have jettisoned to the top of the money making heap. While some names have done well at the box office as expected, others have risen from the murky depths, in order to become household names. What three people have had their films gross more than two million credits total in the New Hollywood era, so far?

Ryan Gosling – 2.6 billion. He’s been in just three films of the last six years, and yet all were certified hits with Centurion Studios. His films – Cave Girl, Jeremiah, and Smallville are all mass gross films. As a result, no one has made more money than Ryan Gosling at the box office in recent memory.

Jake Gyllenhaal – 2.25 bill – Having been cast as Superman in Smallville, Jake saw the second highest grossing film of the era built around him. He’s been in four other films as well, and works very hard at his craft. As a result, he is box office gold and already cast in two more Smallville films.

Anna Paquin – 2.047 billion – Fresh off two Oscar awards for both supporting and best actress, Anna isn’t just an awards darling, but a box office magician. With Smallville on her roster, as well as four other films, we’ve all fallen in love with Rogue.

Honorable Mention – Colin Ferrell is at 1.986 billion with his seven films.

(No director or producer has more than 1.5 billion in ticket sales).

[Abe Sargent]

Flatwoods



Dir Wes Craven 4
Prod Dillon Vernlon 4

Jamie Bell – 4
Catherine-Zeta Jones – 4
Steven Booksley - 4
Ewan McGregor - 4
John Cusack – 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 4
Advertising 4
Marketing 3


Domestic – 443
Foreign – 683
Total – 1.127 bill

Boom!!!

DVD sales yielded 543 mill and soundtrack 115 mill

Revenue – 1,345
Cost – 459

Profit – 886 mill

[Abe Sargent]

It’s Official: We Love WV
"www.scanET.co"



After making many movies from his home state of West Virginia, CEO of Centurion Studios, Braham Essex, has established a new love relationship with the land of his birth. A state that has been beaten down, made-fun of and largely ignored by the US is getting its revenge. Not only has it made money from Braham relocating the filming of several major pictures there, but it also has several hits on its hands.

Here are the films based in WV so far. The Battle of Blair Mountain grossed more than 566 million dollars in the film, and was set in South-Central WV. It tried to tell the very real story of the largest peacetime rebellion in American history, and it was quite good at it. Steel Drivin’ Man told the story of John Henry, a famous man who fought the railroads and won, but at the cost of his own life. It grossed a respectable 330 million at the movies.

Then we follow it with the historical Four Governors, of a time when many men thought they were the legitimate governor of the state. It made 470 million in the movies. Now, in back to back months we have the highest and third highest grossing films of New Hollywood. Last month, Why I Left Harrys… made more than 1.4 billion, yes that’s billion, dollars. Following that up is Flatwoods, another attempt to tell a story from WV at the box office. It came away with 1.13 billion in theaters. All total, these five films have made an incredible 3.9 billion dollars at the shows. This is simply unprecedented coverage of a state that many confused with just western Virginia. There are almost four billion reasons why people won’t be making that mistake again.

[Abe Sargent]

End of July

News – Smallville 2 is done writing. The Western Ocean is ready for release and screening at 93%, and Degrassi 2 is done filming.


I greenlight Smallville 2

It has all of the same production values and such as before. I’m moving the filming to LA to get it done more quickly. The only role we added was Lois Lane, so we set about to cast it. We cast a lot of people. My top choice was Anne Hatheway, but we went with Scarlett Johansson instead. She had a four, and Anne with her 4 wasn’t interested.

415 million for everything is pricey, but with the potential it has, not a bad plan.


I slate it for release on Memorial Day, in two years. I also slate Coupling 2 for Valentine’s weekend that year as well.

Our current list of scheduled releases:


August – They Live
Sept – Nothing
Oct, Halloween, - Nightfall
Nov, Thanksgiving – Stormbringer
Dec – Avengers Assemble
Jan – MLK B Day, Western Ocean, Wk 5 – Final Quarter (Our last film we didn’t write ourselves)
Feb , Valentine’s Day – Cave Boy (sequel to Cave Girl)
Mar, Spring Break - Degrassi 8th Grade
April, Easter, Torchwood
May, Memorial Day – Blue Gender

We have no films slated for the summer currently until September, and Dr. Who’s release. It’s just a lull in our production schedule, and I don’t want to delay our films until then, because I generally have good weeks for them.

[Abe Sargent]

We begin a new script. I want to try something new. The Mechwarrior film will hopefully be a major success and the beginning of a series of films. It will be in post-production for another 13 months. A sequel would be at least three years from the theatre. Instead, I want to focus on beginning another script, telling another story during this time.


Mechwarrior: The Davion Front

After declaring war on the Capellan Confederation at his wedding, Hanse Davion must deal with bickering in his own yard, and counter attacks by two of the other Successor states.

Science Fiction, Action

Foul language, 4 stars of violence, no love scenes, scope 4 stars. Sets 4 stars, pyro, robotics, and sfx all 5

Main – Hanse Davion – Leader of the Federated Suns, The Fox. The Magnificant Bastard. (Action, 45, lead, aggressive, lives, needed for sequel, diff 90)

Love Interest – Melissa Steiner-Davion, the new bride of Hanse Davion and heir of the Lyran Commonwealth. 16, lead, sweet, lives, needed, drama, diff 80)

Villain – Takashi Kurita, 56, diff 70, drama and action, fierce, conniving, needed for sequel

Major – Ardan Sortek, 34, diff 60, needed for sequel, action, support, heroic

Major – Jaime Wolf, 46, diff 65, needed for sequel, action, lead, heroic

Minor – Theodore Kurita, 26, lead, needed for sequel, action, diff 60, support, heroic

Minor – General Esther O’Reilly, CO of Davion Forces on Deshler. Support, tough, action, 44, not needed for next film, dies, diff 50.

Upbeat ending. 15 months to write.

[Abe Sargent]

They Live



Dir Anthony Minghella 3
Prod Thomas Grouse 3

Freddie Highmore – 4
Mischa Barton – 4
Casey Affleck - 3
Claire Danes - 4
Kristen Stewart – 4
Lauren Lee Lewis – 4
Abbie Cornish – 4
Cameron Bright – 3
Kerry Washington - 3

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 3
Prod 3
SFX 4
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 292
Foreign – 555
Total – 848

Awesomely solid

DVD sales yielded 308 mill and soundtrack 85 mill

Revenue – 886
Cost – 304

Profit – 582 mill


I like teh moneyz, even from a John Carpenter remake.

[Abe Sargent]

End of August

I take a look at a project Burbage Studios is looking for a partner for. It’s a good script with high production values and solid but unspectacular casting starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. I submit a bid for the domestic release at 62 mill. We find out next month if we win.


Jagged Alliance 2 is ready for casting and a greenlight.

Avengers Assemble is ready for release, with an average test score of 96%.


We get JA2 ready:

We greenlight and stick with most of the same cast. We do cast Ali Larter for 285k as Scope Sterling and for 41 million Johnny Depp as the villain Robert Wagner.

I slate it for release for July 4th weekend in a year and nine months.



I order a script for a third JA film:

Jagged Alliance 3: Back in Action

We are adding the roles of Hamous and Mike, but both die, and a third villain, Elliot, the abused former assistant to Deidranna takes his abuse and turns it into rage as he hires his own mercenaries, and things get very rough.

It will take 14 months to prepare

[Abe Sargent]

End of September

News – The Hammer of Purgatory and Revolution are done writing. We won the bidding on domestic release of the film from Burbage Studios. Stormbringer is ready for release and currently at 90%. Cave Boy finished filming.


The Hammer of Purgatory

A sequel to Lucifer’s Hammer, this already has most of the cast signed on to repeat. We bring Ellen Page on board as the villainess daughter of Rev. Armitage for 2.28 mill and 485k brings Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as supporting new character of Heath Yancy. We greenlight the film and schedule a release for August, in two years.

[Abe Sargent]

Revolution

As one of the first projects in a while that we’ve greenlit that’s not a sequel, I’ll go back to the original process again.

We increase the sound and production values, and increase the screen time to 110 minutes. We will be filming in Mexico and the Caribbean for most of the film. We have 116 mill in production costs and I move to casting.


Dir. Jonathan Demme – 1 mill
Prod. Dillon Vernlon – 1 mill (fresh off Flatwoods success)

Raphael de Boer, Lead, 17 million, Tobey Maguire

Stefan D’Avingnon, Support, 34 mill, Leonardo DiCaprio

Admiral Sir George Rodney, Villain, 1.3 mill, Pierce Brosnan (my top choices didn’t want it or screened badly)

Support roles:

Don Diego de Gardoqui, 25 mill, Matt Damon

Benjamin Franklin, 1 mill, Ben Kingsley

Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, 500k, Justin Timberlake

Pierre Beaumarchais, 4.7 mill, John Cusack

Juan de Lángara, 2 mill, Eric Bana

Jerónimo Grimaldi, 3 mill, Daniel Day-Lewis

Empress Catherine II, Julie Warner for 100k. I cast a lot of ladies, and had only two major 5s, Kyra Sedgwick and Michelle Pfieffer. Most weren;t interested, so I went down until I found someone with a 5 that wanted it.

We slate it for release on June, in a year and a half, on School Getting Out weekend. Our total budget is 483 mill.

[Abe Sargent]

Nightfall

Dir Larry Fessenden 4
Prod Stuart Foyman 4

Zach Braff – 5
Kate Winslet – 5
Hugh Jackman - 5
Eric Bana - 4
Wes Bentley – 4
Shawn Hatosy - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 4


Domestic – 211
Foreign – 402
Total – 614

What happens when the best sci-fi short story of all time becomes a film? A hit!

DVD sales yielded 341 mill and soundtrack 61 mill

Revenue – 779
Cost – 394

Profit – 384 mill

[Abe Sargent]

November has arrived

News – With a test screening of 93%, Final Quarter is done. Also complete is Degrassi: 8th Grade, with a test screening of 96%. Pokémon is filming and Jeremiah 2 is done writing.

I move Jeremiah 2 to Vancouver to film. I slate it for Labor Day in two years


CENTURION STUDIOS PRESS RELEASE

Centurion Studios is proud to announce their newest project. CEO James Essex announced today that CS had acquired the rights to the TV show Kindred: The Embraced. This half season show was produced by Aaron Spelling and based on the popular role-playing game, Vampire: The Masquerade. The show was unfortunately cancelled after half a season by FOX, and while Showtime was negotiating to bring it to their channel, the lead star Mark Frankel, passed away suddenly. As a result, this high quality show has gone by largely unnoticed by most. Centurion Studios is proud to bring it to the silver screen, and to give it another day in the sun.

[Abe Sargent]

Kindred: The Embraced



Horror/Vampire, Drama

2 stars foul language and love scenes, 3 of violence

5 star script

4 star scope, 3 star sfx, no robotics, 4 star pyro, 4 star sets

Cast


Lead – Caitlyn Byrne, 28, lead, innocent, diff 80, lives and needed for sequel, drama
Love Interest – Julian Luna, 40-ish, action, 2 stars of stunts, diff 80, lives, needed for sequel, lead heroic
Villain – Eddie Fiori, 45-ish, action, 2 stars stunts, diff 70, dies, not needed, murderous, intimidating
Major Support – Alexandra, 37-ish, drama, diff 70, lives, needed for seq, bad girl, sexy
Major Support – Daedulus, 45-ish, drama, diff 75, lives, needed for sequ, support, fierce
Min Support – Archon, 60-ish, drama, diff 60, lives, needed for seq, support, normal


We’re cutting out the character of Frank Kohanek completely, and moving Cash and Sasha to the sequel. I just want to focus on these characters for the first film. 15 months needed for the script



And now it’s time to see if that Fantasy film will do what we expect.

[Abe Sargent]

Stormbringer


Dir Guillermo del Toro 4
Prod Ferdinand Yeeman 4

Leonardo DiCaprio –5
Charlize Theron – 4
James Franco - 3
Scott Speedman - 4
Ewan McGregor – 4

Star 3
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 4


Domestic – 229
Foreign – 437
Total – 666



DVD sales yielded 250 mill and soundtrack 66 mill

Revenue – 725
Cost – 471

Profit – 253 mill

That’s solid and respectable. Good job Leo, as Elric!

[Abe Sargent]

End of November

News – Coupling 2 has moved to production and Lone Wolf: Flight from the Dark is done script writing

We commission a sequel – Stormbringer: Isles of Fate

In addition to Elric:

Rackhir the Red Archer, lives, not needed for sequel, 35, human, diff 75, lead, heroic

Duke Umbria, 35, villain, barbaric, fierce, dies, not needed for sequel, human, diff 75

A couple of minor roles, made for the film (as is Duke Umbria)

18 months to write.

[Abe Sargent]

Lone Wolf

I jack up sound and production quality. We are filing in LA to save time. With a production budget of 148 mill, I greenlight Lone Wolf and move to casting

Dir Zhang Yimou, 550k
Prod Stuart Woyman – 660k – After a good film with Nightfall, we are bringing him back

Freddie Highmore for Lone Wolf, 450k. He’s cheap, and reliable, and casted at 5, but we’ll have to beef him up a bit for the role.

Banedon will be played by Emile Hirsch for 550k. Cast at 4 and physically can play the role.

Vonotar the Traitor is played by Kevin Spacey for 2.6 mill

We slate it for release on Thanksgiving weekend two years down the road

[Abe Sargent]

Now it’s time to find out if America embraces a true re-envisioning of the Avengers. Will Avengers Assemble do well at the box office?


Avengers Assemble

Dir Johnathan Demme 4
Prod Santiago Triles 4

Captain Marvel: Taraji P Henson – 4
Black Panther: Derek Luke – 5
Graviton: Thomas Jane - 5
Hawkeye: Ryan Reynolds - 4
Black Knight: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers – 4
Firebird: Rhona Mitra – 3
Moon Knight: Matt Damon - 4
Grim Reaper: Cillian Murphy - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
SFX 5
Script to Film 4
Advertising 5
Marketing 4


Domestic – 281
Foreign – 534
Total – 815

Yay!!!

DVD sales yielded 475 mill and soundtrack 82 mill

Revenue – 1,055 mill
Cost – 426

Profit – 629 mill

Boomboomboomboomboom!

[Abe Sargent]

End of December

News – At 97% testing, Cave Boy is done. Smallville 3 is all written.




Smallville 3 is ready to go:

Five star production everywhere and filming in LA.

Lois Lane’s character is bumped to major support, and Scarlett moves up as well and signs for that role.

We greenlight it and authorize it!

Sequel – Avengers Assemble 2

Villain – Proctor, 30, lead, simple, male, human, etc – dies, and needed for sequel,

Minor Support – Coal Tiger, 35, male, black, support, heroic, dies, not needed

It will take 14 months just to write

January sees two films being released, including the historical story of Zheng He. Let’s see what’s what:

[Abe Sargent]

The Western Ocean


Dir Alphonso Cuaron 4
Prod Marshall Hipler 3

Cao He – 4
Ken Leung – 5
Prabha Natarajan - 3
Colin Ferrell - 3
Aaron Eckhart – 3
Kaden Ling – 3
Mark Dacascos - 3

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 3
Script to Film 4
Advertising 4
Marketing 5


Domestic – 104
Foreign – 198
Total – 302

Wow, our first not-major film in a while

DVD sales yielded 62 mill and soundtrack 30 mill

Revenue – 260
Cost – 403

Profit – Negative 142 mill


Our first major loss in a while.

[Abe Sargent]

Final Quarter

Dir Peter Weir 3
Prod Claude Pursue 5

Cate Blanchett – 5
James Franco – 3
Ellen Page - 4
Eliza Dushku - 5
Franka Potente – 5

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 2
Prod 1
SFX 1
Script to Film 5
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 191
Foreign – 334
Total – 525

The last film we didn’t write. It did well.

DVD sales yielded 316 mill and soundtrack 53 mill

Revenue – 675
Cost – 325

Profit – 349 mill

At least we made money somewhere.

[Abe Sargent]

February

News – Pokemon finished production. At 93%, Dr Who is ready for release. Torchwood is at 96%. Harpers Ferry is back from script writing and looks good.



Award Nominations (Only Ours are Listed)

Best Picture – Four Governors, Nightfall, Jeremiah, Avengers Assemble

Best Director – Guillermo del Toro – Stormbringer, Larry Fessenden – Nightfall, Steven Soderbergh – Four Governors, Wes Craven – Flatwoods

Best Actor – Leonardo di Caprio – Stormbringer

Best Supporting Actor – Owen Wilson, Why I Left Harrys…

Best Original Screenplay – Four Governors


We purchase the movie rights for a remake of The Lone Ranger and Twin Peaks. It will take 9 months to improve the script quality of our new Western and 12 for TP.

[Abe Sargent]

Harpers Ferry

Film in Charleston, WV

I jack up the value of the production to five stars

122 mill in production costs and a year to complete the project.

Casting:

Dir Peter Weir, 2 mill
Prod. Dwight Ferton, 800k

John Brown – Liam Neeson, 2 mill
Frederick Douglass – Cuba Gooding Jr, 950k
Hugh Forbes – Jude Law, 750k
Col. Robert E Lee – 22 mill, Russell Crowe
Wilson Brown – Logan Lerman, 80k
Oliver Brown – Garrett Hedlund, 185k

[Abe Sargent]

Cave Boy


Dir Doug Liman 4
Prod Alaine Clay 3

Jake Gyllenhaal –3
Julia Styles – 4
Jonah Hill - 4
Ryan Reynolds - 4

Star 2
Story 3
Character 5
Genre 5
Prod 2
Script to Film 3
Advertising 5
Marketing 3


Domestic – 257
Foreign – 489
Total – 746

A hit like the first film.

DVD sales yielded 297 mill and soundtrack 65 mill

Revenue – 799
Cost – 310

Profit – 489 mill


Nicely done!

[Abe Sargent]

March


News – The writing is complete on Invincible, Coupling 2 is now filming

I authorize a sequel, Cave Tranny. It will take four months to write. Will the sequel-itis continue?



Degrassi: 8th Grade


Dir. Jonathan Kasden - 3
Prod Daryl Smith 4

Saorise Ronan – 5
Jimmy Bennett – 4
Mackenzie Vega - 4
Jacob Kogan - 5
Taylor Momson – 3

Star 2
Story 4
Character 5
Genre 4
Prod 5
Script to Film 5
Advertising 4
Marketing 3


Domestic – 145
Foreign – 277
Total – 422

Not bad again for a cheap to produce film

DVD sales yielded 112 mill and soundtrack 42 mill

Revenue – 396
Cost – 297

Profit – 99 mill

[Abe Sargent]

Awards Ceremony Time


Best Screenplay Adaptation went to That 70’s Show Adaptation
Best Original Screenplay went to Red Moon, the most nominated film with five nominations
Best Supporting Actress to Meryl Streep
Best Supporting Actor to Matt Damon
Best Actress to Jodie Foster
Best Actor to Leonardo DiCaprio for Elric of Melnibone, from Stormbringer
Best Director to Larry Fessenden for Nightfall
Best Movie to Jeremiah, with three awards for the night for Centurion Studios!!!


With honored distinction, we accept this award. It's important to not just seek box office success but also to make art. We try to make art every time, but sometimes you do better than others. It’s a privilege to have your work accepted and celebrated by your peers, and I stand humble before you, giving thanks.


April

News – Both Red vs Blue and The Mote in God’s Eye are back from the writers. Lone Wolf and the Hammer of Purgatory are ready for filming.