After hanging up the phone, Megan looked at her voluptuous figure in the mirror, utterly confused.
Clearly, as an American, she couldn't understand the beauty of Liu Tianxian in ancient Chinese attire.
"Hello, Mr. Wayne, I'm Grace, Director Soderbergh's assistant. The crew has arranged a hotel for you."
Once the plane landed, Wayne and his group followed Soderbergh's assistant to the MGM Grand Hotel, where they dropped off their luggage in the penthouse suite, and then they headed to the film set.
"Hey, Wayne, long time no see!"
Under the scorching Las Vegas sun, Soderbergh immediately walked up to Wayne and gave him a big hug as soon as he got out of the car.
Afterward, both producer Jerry Weintraub and the male lead, George Clooney, along with the biggest star, Brad Pitt, were all incredibly enthusiastic. There was none of the tension or challenges often depicted in novels.
Even though Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were friends, and Pitt was undoubtedly jealous of Wayne, he didn't show it. After all, to make it big in Hollywood, he wasn't an idiot.
Of course, with Wayne's arrival, it was clear that he was no longer the biggest star on set.
Thanks to the incredible success of The Bourne Identity, Wayne's popularity had surpassed even that of Keanu Reeves in his heyday.
"Here's the script and today's shooting schedule. If it looks good to you, we'll start shooting after lunch!" After some casual conversation, Soderbergh handed Wayne the script, getting down to business.
"No problem!"
Wayne, eager to get things moving, quickly agreed.
The movie Ocean's Eleven was about a group of eleven thieves led by Danny, who, after being released from prison, finds out that his girlfriend Tess has been taken by billionaire casino owner Benedict.
Danny plans to reassemble the group of eleven to rob $160 million from Benedict's casino vault while also trying to win back Tess.
Wayne played Linus, a genius rookie pickpocket who, after being approached by Danny, is convinced to join the crew.
Even though his role had more screen time than some of the others, he was only on screen for about seven or eight minutes in total. This was after Soderbergh adjusted the script following Wayne's rising fame. After all, he was still just the third lead.
That afternoon, they shot a scene where Linus encounters Danny during a theft. In this scene, Danny, with a more advanced technique, switches Linus' stolen wallet with his business card without Linus noticing.
Surprised that someone could pull off a switch without him realizing it, Linus tracks down Danny out of curiosity.
For Wayne, this scene wasn't difficult. After a couple of sessions with the movement coach, he had already mastered the posture and mannerisms of a pickpocket. As for the technical hand movements, a stunt double would take care of those.
The only reason the shoot took the entire afternoon was due to the multiple setups and angles needed.
After dinner, they continued shooting the scene where the crew steals an electromagnetic pulse generator capable of causing a citywide blackout.
Linus was initially tasked with staying behind and assisting the team's mechanic brothers, who were responsible for their getaway. But the brothers, while skilled, were also incredibly chatty, driving Linus crazy with their constant talking.
Frustrated, Linus decides to enter the research facility to help out, only to find that Danny and the others have already stolen the generator by the time he arrives. Worse, he ends up being chased by angry security guards.
This comedic scene wasn't difficult for Wayne either, given that his first film, Admission Letter, was a comedy. The shooting wrapped up in less than three hours, finishing ahead of schedule.
"Hey, Wayne, want to hit the casino with us later?"
Pleased with the day's progress, Soderbergh invited Wayne to join him at the casino after Wayne had changed out of his costume.
Visiting Las Vegas without gambling is like going to Los Angeles without seeing Hollywood or the Walk of Fame—it feels incomplete.
But Wayne wasn't interested. Even though he had been in this world for nearly a year, his attitude toward gambling remained distant.
"Sorry, Steven, I promised my girlfriend I'd take her shopping." Wayne apologized with a smile.
"Next time then," Soderbergh replied with a laugh, not minding at all. After all, Wayne was famous in the industry for being devoted to his girlfriend.
Soderbergh, Clooney, and Pitt went downstairs to the casino, while Wayne, Charlize Theron, and their assistant Hannah left the hotel for a relaxed stroll along the bustling Las Vegas Strip.
Perhaps because of the different crowd, Wayne and Theron didn't get recognized as much by passersby as they usually would.
"Oh, by the way, Mia sent over the first-day box office results for Mean Girls this afternoon. It opened on 2,000 screens and grossed $9.67 million," said Charlize.
"That high?" Wayne was surprised.
Even The Bourne Identity, with all the Oscar buzz and the involvement of three Hollywood A-listers, only managed $10.39 million on its opening day.
Mean Girls, aside from Wayne, didn't have any notable stars, yet it still grossed $9.67 million, far exceeding his expectations.
"Mia was just as shocked when she got the numbers."
Clearly, Wayne was even more popular than he had anticipated.
"What are the critic scores?" Wayne asked.
"Rotten Tomatoes is at 95% fresh, with a 91% audience score. Metacritic is at 76, IMDb is at 8.8, and CinemaScore gave it an A rating."
Wayne shook his head.
CinemaScore's A rating was understandable, given the movie's box office appeal, but a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 on Metacritic seemed absurdly high for a film like Mean Girls.
It was obvious that Harvey Weinstein had pulled some strings and paid for those scores.
"Didn't Harvey say the marketing budget was only $6 million? Half of that must have gone to buying scores and reviews," Wayne joked, but then let it go.
With such a strong opening, Mean Girls was bound to be a box office hit.
Indeed, over the next two days, with an increase in screen count, Mean Girls earned $9.92 million and $10.53 million, respectively.
Seeing this momentum, Harvey Weinstein didn't waste any time, officially releasing the film on more screens earlier than planned.
With 3,300 screens, the movie grossed $12.11 million on its first full day in North America.
Internationally, despite being released in only 22 regions, it still managed to gross $11.77 million.
Altogether, Mean Girls had already made $54 million worldwide, recouping its costs after just one day in wide release.
"Haha, Wayne, when will you finish shooting and come back? I can't wait to throw a celebration party for our 'Mean Girls'!"
Wayne received a call from Harvey that same day. Clearly, that fat guy was about to make another big profit from 'Mean Girls.'
However, the real reason Harvey called was for 'The Notebook,' which had just finished post-production and was about to have a screening.
Thanks to Richard Curtis working around the clock, post-production on 'The Notebook' was completed on schedule.
But Wayne had already repaid all the favors he owed him, so this time, it was clear that Harvey wouldn't easily get the rights to 'The Notebook' through connections.
After some small talk, Wayne hung up the phone under the excuse of 'handling some business,' and then opened up the system panel to take a look.
[Remaining film investment funds: $186.4 million]
[Ongoing film projects:]
['Resident Evil 1 & 2': Production budget: $175 million, $157 million invested so far]
['Taken': Production budget: $35 million, $26 million invested so far]
['Ocean's Eleven' (18%): Estimated investment: $15 million, $7 million invested so far]
['Pirates of the Caribbean' (16%): Estimated investment: $20 million, $0 invested so far]
['Spider-Man 1' (22%): Estimated investment: $30 million, $10 million invested so far]
['Star Wars: Episode II' (4%): Estimated investment: $15 million, $7 million invested so far]
['Hotel for Dogs': Estimated investment: $20 million, $11.4 million invested so far]
With the completion of 'The Notebook,' the shooting funds, which had only $400,000 left, suddenly skyrocketed to $186.4 million.
Now, after deducting the amounts needed for a few upcoming projects, Wayne had enough to start new ones.
"'The Intern' will have to wait until Nancy Meyers finishes post-production on 'Hotel for Dogs,' so it'll take a bit longer."
"'Heidi and Grandpa,' on the other hand, doesn't have to wait for Lily to wrap up. It can start preparation now."
"And the remakes of 'Wedding Crashers' and 'The Ring' can also begin planning now. Katherine Bigelow, Nina Jackson, and Mary Parent, who just joined the production department, can each be in charge of one film as producers."
Wayne had previously acquired the remake rights to 'The Ring' and 'Ju-On' through Wayne Enterprises, and now he could sell them to Hemera Pictures and make several times the profit by using system funds.
Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, Wayne gazed at the Las Vegas skyline. After a moment of thought, he picked up the phone and dialed Sarah's number.
"What? Three new projects at once?"
Although it was rare for even the Big Seven studios to simultaneously work on three new films, Sarah was only briefly surprised before she began asking about personnel arrangements.
She had long since grown used to Wayne's big moves.
"I'm planning to have Gus Van Sant direct 'Heidi and Grandpa,' with Lily Collins and Elizabeth Olsen as the two little girl leads, and Eva Green as the housekeeper."
"For 'Wedding Crashers,' I'll look for either P.J. Hogan or Peter Farrelly to direct. See which of them is available and contact them. Sarah Michelle Gellar will play the female lead, Isla Fisher the supporting female role, and I'll play the male lead, John Beckwith. We can invite Vince Vaughn to audition for the male supporting role, Jeremy Grey."
"As for the remake of 'The Ring'..."
"First, check if James Wan is interested. If he is, both scriptwriting and directing can go to him."
"If he's not interested, get Gore Verbinski. Though he's already signed on to direct 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' there's still plenty of time before production begins, enough to finish 'The Ring.'"
"Naomi Watts will play the female lead, and if there's a significant female supporting role, give it to Martina García."
Gus Van Sant didn't need much explanation; he excelled at emotional, nuanced films, and had already worked with Hemera Pictures on 'Gifted.'
P.J. Hogan and Peter Farrelly were both well-known directors in Hollywood for romantic comedies. While they weren't quite on the level of Garry Marshall, both had directed films that grossed over $300 million worldwide.
As for Gore Verbinski, he was the original director of the American version of 'The Ring,' as well as the director of the first three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films. Though not yet a household name, his skills were top-notch.
Actor-wise, Vince Vaughn wasn't particularly famous, but he was often cast as the sleazy, middle-aged man in various comedies.
He was also the original actor for Jeremy Grey, the male supporting role in 'Wedding Crashers.'
Of course, Vaughn's most famous title was still 'Rachel' Jennifer Aniston's ex-boyfriend.
No one knew what Jennifer Aniston was thinking when, after divorcing Brad Pitt in 2005, she started dating Vince Vaughn.
The two were together for two full years before breaking up, shocking just about everyone.