The final episode of Six Feet Under aired on Sunday, August 19th. Band of Brothers was set to premiere on September 9th, leaving a two-week gap in between.
During this stretch, DreamWorks was gearing up for a major push to hype Band of Brothers, pouring over $15 million into promotion. If the show could take off on Tarzan TV and spark a big social buzz, DreamWorks would have more leverage selling the rights internationally. Plus, they'd have a stronger hand boosting VHS and DVD sales.
For the network, these two weeks were the warm-up act for Band of Brothers!
Premium cable channels couldn't run ads, but they could air trailers.
Steven Spielberg himself had cut two versions of the teaser—epic, pulse-pounding stuff—ready to loop on their two affiliated stations.
And to really set the stage, Dunn Films went all out, snagging broadcast rights to two killer movies to prime the pump: Fox's comic-book flick X-Men and Universal's quirky fantasy-comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Dunn even sidelined his own The Net—a slow-burn drama wasn't the vibe they needed right now. They wanted loud, explosive, emotional firepower.
X-Men cost $20 million in licensing fees and was slated for the August 26th weekend.
The Grinch ran them $28 million and was locked in for September 2nd.
On top of that, to juice up subscriber numbers and installation rates, Dunn Films inked a short-term deal with Comcast.
From August 26th to September 9th, for every million new subscribers the network gained, Comcast would score an extra percentage point from Dunn Films—capped at five points.
Big rewards breed bold moves!
Why did Comcast have such fat cash reserves? Simple: customer deposits and hefty service fees.
More installations meant more deposits. More new users meant bigger revenue cuts.
No doubt about it, Dunn's move would light a fire under Comcast to push the network hard.
To hype Band of Brothers and pave the way for Tarzan TV, Dunn was sparing no expense!
Good thing Mr. & Mrs. Smith's profits had rolled in. With $520 million in global box office, Dunn Films pocketed $170 million. The company's cash on hand now topped $280 million—plenty to play with.
In his office, Dunn paced back and forth, hands clasped behind him, looking antsy.
Last night, The Grinch aired on Tarzan TV, and he was waiting for the latest numbers.
Normally, he wouldn't get a report on a Monday—operators took weekends off. The network could only pull rough viewership estimates.
But thanks to the new deal, Comcast had been working overtime for two straight weekends, making sure households could still get hooked up and subscribed even on off-days.
Over the past ten days, as expected, Tarzan TV's paid subscribers had shot up.
But the growth wasn't as rosy as he'd hoped.
Just 560,000 new subscriber households!
So far, the network had 5.4 million subscribers total—boosted partly by Six Feet Under.
It was still stuck at third place in North America.
That rank gnawed at Dunn.
X-Men hadn't been the jolt he'd wanted. Now, it was all riding on The Grinch.
It was September 3rd already. Band of Brothers was about to hit Tarzan TV for its global debut.
If he couldn't flash some dazzling growth numbers, it'd be a letdown.
Suddenly, a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
Dunn barked it out, eager, stepping forward—only to see not a data report but Kevin Feige, president's assistant at Marvel Studios.
"Kevin?"
"Boss, you heading out or something?" Kevin blinked, caught off guard by Dunn's flustered vibe.
Dunn waved it off with a self-deprecating chuckle, pointing to the couch. "Sit. What's up?"
Kevin sat, rubbing his hands together, a bit sheepish. "Boss, Spider-Man 2 just wrapped."
"Oh."
Dunn's response was half-hearted.
Kevin pressed on, "You promised me once Spider-Man 2 was done, I could start prepping my TV show."
That jolted Dunn back.
Right—he'd greenlit it ages ago. Once Kevin finished producing Spider-Man 2, he could kick off his comic-book TV series, The Punisher.
"Post-production's a big deal too!" Dunn gave him a sharp look. "Kevin, you've gotta see a job through!"
Kevin nodded quickly. "I know, I'll stay on for Spider-Man 2's post. But you know, as a production assistant, there's not much for me to do there. I want to carve out more time to get The Punisher rolling."
Dunn let out a soft "Hmm."
He'd checked in with Nina Jacobson and Ridley Scott last time he was in New York—both raved about Kevin's work.
"Fine, I'll sign off on it in principle."
"Boss, thank you!" Kevin lit up.
"Hold up!" Dunn raised a hand, mulling it over. "Kevin, since you're dead-set on The Punisher, let me ask you: what kind of character is he?"
Kevin answered, "He's not a hero—not even an anti-hero. He's a criminal. A criminal who doesn't hurt good people."
Dunn's brow furrowed.
Kevin went on, "To regular folks, he's a gray area. You want to cheer him on for taking out the bad guys, but his methods are so brutal it's hard to stomach. That's his big draw, I think—his personality's magnetic."
Dunn shook his head. "Kevin, don't forget: The Punisher airs after Daredevil hits theaters. They're buddies—you can't split them apart like they're unrelated."
The Daredevil script was locked, and Kevin, as a producer, had read it.
But he looked puzzled. Pairing The Punisher with Daredevil—did that even fit?
From the script, Daredevil was all gritty realism—an "epic good guy" who'd sacrifice himself, even his love life, for justice. He fought his mentor's sister and girlfriend, Elektra, before saving New York.
The Punisher and Daredevil were polar opposites!
Daredevil didn't kill, sticking to legal justice. The Punisher went hard, dishing out punishment way harsher than any law.
"We're not sticking to the comics?" Kevin asked, thrown off.
Dunn said, "Comics are niche. Movies and TV? They've got massive reach. We can't push evil through the protagonist's lens."
Plenty of gritty crime dramas went big—Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Dexter. Why? Because even with flawed leads, they clung to a moral line, showing glimmers of humanity.
The Punisher show from Dunn's past life had stirred up a mess.
Comic fans griped it wasn't violent or evil enough. Critics trashed it as shallow, lacking depth or artistry.
Yet ratings and reviews showed audiences loved it.
Why?
Because TV's a long game.
Short bursts of hardcore violence might grab attention as a gimmick, but over time, it'd turn viewers off.
The so-called "top ten banned films" might spark curiosity, but who actually enjoys that stuff?
Kevin frowned, confused. "So, are we still making The Punisher?"
"No, Kevin, you're missing it," Dunn said, waving him off. "Of course it's The Punisher. Political incorrectness is his core. But we need to show his inner conflict, give him depth, lean into his good side—not just slather on the evil."
Kevin nodded slowly, getting it. "I see. That struggle's like Daredevil's. His is justice versus the law; The Punisher's is justice versus evil. Deep down, they're the same type—just different approaches."
Dunn grinned. "Exactly! The Punisher isn't a criminal! If you can pull off that kind of depth, like Daredevil's vibe, you'll earn your shot at directing a big commercial flick solo."
Kevin's heart sank.
Suddenly, he wondered if picking The Punisher was a mistake.
This guy was tough to nail!
He should've gone easy—maybe a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent spin-off, something light and action-comedy. Not this heavy, introspective slog.
Kevin sighed. "In that case, I'll need Deacon Whistler and Jonathan Nolan to help write it. Budget-wise, I'd say no less than $40 million."
Deacon Whistler was Dunn's go-to writer, plucked from obscurity years ago. Now Dunn Films' top scribe, he had a stutter but a 98/100 talent score, excelling at dark, action-packed, cop-and-robber scripts.
Jonathan Nolan? No intro needed. He and Deacon had cooked up Daredevil's script together.
Dunn smirked. Kevin Feige's ambition was no joke!
Just then, the office door burst open. Isla Fisher rushed in, waving a report, practically bouncing. "It's here, it's here! 1.16 million! In the first two days of September, the network added 1.16 million new subscribers!"
Dunn shot to his feet, eyes gleaming.
Great things were within reach!