Back in Los Angeles, Matthew detached himself from the Inception crew to focus on other business ventures. For the next month, he wouldn't be involved in Inception filming and planned to use this time to manage Thirteen Studio's projects. Currently, the studio was juggling four major projects.
Matthew first met with James Wan, who showed him the latest script for the horror project. Due to ongoing creative ideas, James Wan had been continuously revising the script, but the new version had a formal title—Insidious.
The title sounded vaguely familiar to Matthew. After thinking for a moment, he remembered there had been a TV series called Insidious on the other side of the Pacific, though it was a spy thriller and unrelated to James Wan's horror project.
Though Matthew couldn't recall seeing a film by this name, he was still determined to invest in James Wan. After all, an investment of $1.5 million was trivial for him. If that number were ten times higher, he would give it more serious thought.
Usually, directors who gain fame with one film feel the pressure of their success, but James Wan didn't have that issue. Insidious was a completely different genre from Saw.
James Wan had even identified potential lead actors—Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. Matthew vaguely remembered Rose Byrne from Troy, where she had acted alongside Brad Pitt, while Patrick Wilson was better known for his intense role in Hard Candy, where he was tormented by a young girl.
Matthew had no strong opinions about the casting but planned to observe the audition process once production began. As he promised James Wan, he wouldn't interfere unnecessarily, but he also wouldn't let him operate without oversight.
Through years of experience, Matthew had learned that while directors needed creative control, there had to be checks and balances. Even Christopher Nolan was not free from Warner Bros.' oversight.
In any case, Matthew was excited about the prospect of James Wan delivering a horror movie that could surpass Saw—at least in commercial success.
Thirteen Studio was founded to make money, and Matthew saw no need to hide that. There was no reason to dress it up as something grander than it was.
The day after meeting James Wan, Matthew visited the post-production studio at Disney to check on The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The filming had wrapped, and Sofia Coppola was deep in post-production.
Compared to the first film, New Moon had gone smoothly from preparation to shooting and now post-production. Sofia Coppola would finish all post-production work by the end of August.
Matthew had already discussed with Disney's distribution team that once post-production was complete, Sofia Coppola would take New Moon to the Toronto Film Festival in September to promote the film ahead of its Thanksgiving release in North America.
When the first movie was in production, many doubted whether audiences were still interested in vampire stories. The box office results made it clear that a significant portion of viewers loved this type of "harmless" vampire film.
Matthew and Sofia Coppola had long agreed that Twilight was a very "clean" movie, focusing on a group of young adults. Its themes were positive, and unlike other vampire films, it was appropriate for younger audiences.
In fact, the story wasn't really about vampires; it was more about the dramatic romance between the two leads.
For Matthew, Twilight was an excellent beginning. Sofia Coppola had created a compelling first chapter, and everyone knew there would be a second and third film. The second movie's role was to bridge the first and third films.
Sofia Coppola had crafted a successful start, laying a strong foundation for the series. The importance of the first film in any series was well-known to anyone familiar with the industry.
Matthew's goal was for New Moon to build on Twilight's success, generating more box office revenue and merchandise sales.
He hoped for at least a 20% increase in profits for New Moon.
Achieving that would be no easy task.
Luckily, when Matthew initially developed the project, he anticipated future sequels. Sofia Coppola had intentionally left several plot points unresolved in Twilight, providing plenty of room for the sequel's narrative direction.
The production team had also taken feedback from fans and audiences during pre-production, and author Stephenie Meyer remained closely involved, making her a critical asset to New Moon's development.
The overall plot of New Moon stayed faithful to the original novel, but Sofia Coppola made significant changes to the characters' dialogue to make it more concise and impactful. The story and set design were also far grander in scope than the first film.
In the first movie, Isabella and Edward were just getting to know each other. Their relationship hadn't fully developed. In New Moon, the internal conflicts within the vampire community, their battles with the werewolves, and humanity's various reactions to vampires and werewolves would all come to the forefront. The crew had designed numerous scenes that were seamlessly woven together, giving the audience a clearer view of the Twilight universe.
With the success of the first film, Disney was now heavily invested in the franchise. Even though post-production on New Moon wasn't complete, the marketing campaign had already begun. Nina Dobrev, Liam Hemsworth, and Lily Collins, the lead actors, were traveling across the U.S. to promote the film and sign copies of Twilight DVDs and books, building hype for the November release.
Disney had secured over 4,000 theaters for the North American release of New Moon, and at the current pace, the movie could open in as many as 4,200 theaters.
Additionally, more than 50 countries and regions had already committed to a simultaneous release with North America, and that number was expected to exceed 70 by the final count.
With New Moon on track, Matthew spent two days on set and notified Bella Anderson that if the film performed well again, they'd need to renegotiate the distribution deal with Disney.
At the very least, they would demand the lowest possible distribution fee.
Distribution companies held the upper hand in the film industry, but for a successful series like Twilight, especially after two box office hits, finding a distributor wouldn't be a problem.
In fact, Warner Bros., Paramount, and 20th Century Fox had already approached Matthew in private, hoping to secure the rights for future installments.
These offers would serve as leverage during negotiations.
Still, Matthew's preference remained Disney. The studio had a unique talent for handling youth-targeted films.
Twilight had opened the door to the lucrative young adult film market in North America, and Matthew's next project, The Hunger Games, was moving full steam ahead.
At the moment, The Hunger Games was nearing the end of its early development. The script had reached a first draft, but it would undergo multiple revisions and refinements before being finalized.
Casting was also a significant concern. Director Patty Jenkins had high expectations for the actors, especially for the lead role of Katniss.
Patty Jenkins discussed this with Matthew at length. For Katniss, they needed someone who could embody the character's spirit from the book, while also being young enough to fit the role. Finding such an actress seemed almost impossible.
From the current pool of actors, no one in their teens had the acting skill, the right look, and the box office appeal they needed.
After several discussions, Matthew and Patty Jenkins reached a consensus: they would slightly age up Katniss in the film, making her a young woman rather than a teenager.
This expanded the casting possibilities.
However, Patty Jenkins' standards for the lead actress remained high. The actress needed to be both reserved and explosive when necessary.
Two potential candidates came to Matthew's mind: the original actress known for her "girl next door" charm and Gal Gadot.
The first actress had successfully crafted a relatable persona and was popular among teenagers. She felt like one of their own.
Gal Gadot, on the other hand, had an impressive physique, with her military background being an additional advantage. Her looks far surpassed those of the "girl next door," especially her long legs, which would captivate many viewers.
However, her age was a bit of a drawback.
In contrast, the other actress's youth was a significant asset, and if she continued to develop successfully, she would be a major draw for the franchise over the coming years.
After weighing his options, Matthew decided to send both actresses, as well as Lily Collins, audition invitations for the role of Katniss when the time came.
He would decide after seeing their performances in the auditions.
With the matters of Insidious, New Moon, and The Hunger Games settled, Matthew shifted his focus to promoting Fast & Furious 4.
Unlike Matthew, the other main cast members had already been making promotional rounds across North America and internationally.
With less than 20 days left until the film's release, Matthew needed to maximize the remaining time, pushing hard to draw more attention to the movie.
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