On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe's body was found naked in her own bed; the cause of death was an overdose.
However, many people suspected that the Kennedy brothers were involved…
Katherine couldn't remember exactly how Monroe had died, but the news still shocked her.
Soon, however, another, more urgent matter captured her attention: DreamWorks was about to be founded!
Although Hohmann had no intention of returning to Hollywood, he provided Katherine with a great deal of information.
As a result, by early August, Katherine's company was fully established.
After its founding, Katherine began planning her first film: the Fallout saga.
She had no intention of adapting the Fallout novel directly for the screen; instead, she wrote an original script set in the wasteland.
Before long, though, she realized she had taken on a massive project.
Katherine had roughly ten million dollars in available funds.
But she soon realized that the budget still seemed insufficient…
Then, a sudden burst of inspiration struck her. She had an idea:
get sponsorships!
In Fallout, there is a well-known comic magazine and an even more famous Quantum Cola.
What if the comic publisher were changed to the famous American company Marvel Comics? And what if the manufacturer of Quantum Cola were changed to Coca-Cola?
Obviously, once the movie became a hit, sales of both products would skyrocket—or at the very least, their brand recognition would increase dramatically!
Of course, if she really wanted their products to appear in the film, they would have to pay.
In the United States, product placement in movies was already a well-established practice. Catherine's Fallout had sold extremely well as a book and had already proven its commercial potential, even producing tens of millions of dollars in revenue with a low-budget film. While box-office success wasn't guaranteed, securing sponsorships wouldn't be too difficult.
In fact, although the Fallout series had already been a major success, it would likely take time to become a truly household name. For now, most people still regarded it simply as science fiction.
On another level, however, public anxiety about nuclear war also drove people to read the book; many were deeply worried about their future.
The Cuban Missile Crisis would only intensify those fears—
after all, this was the Cold War.
Negotiations with Coca-Cola didn't take long; they had plenty of experience with this sort of thing. However, because Quantum Cola was a recurring theme throughout the book, Catherine demanded the exorbitant sum of eight million dollars. Coca-Cola wasn't foolish, and the two sides negotiated for quite some time.
In the end, the matter was handed over to Bruce.
By now, Bruce was a jack-of-all-trades, stepping in wherever he was needed.
Eventually, the contract was finalized: Coca-Cola would pay three million dollars upfront as sponsorship, with an additional amount if the box office exceeded ten million dollars, and another bonus if it surpassed twenty-five million.
While it wasn't exactly a lifeline, it was certainly a welcome addition.
Next came Marvel Comics. Catherine contacted both DC Comics and Marvel Comics and invited them to submit bids.
Although Marvel Comics only provided one million dollars in sponsorship, it was better than nothing.
Naturally, it wasn't just Coca-Cola and Marvel Comics. The film contained numerous prewar scenes, making it easy for Katherine to attract additional sponsors.
In the end, Katherine managed to raise another ten million dollars, bringing the total funding to twenty million.
With the money secured, the next step was casting.
For the lead role, Katherine chose the "sexiest man in the world": Sean Connery.
At the time, Sean Connery had just finished filming 007 and was relatively free, making him easy to approach. Moreover, the era of Hollywood superstars had not yet arrived, actor salaries were still low, and the fee Katherine offered was already quite generous.
Sean Connery accepted immediately.
After signing Connery, Katherine began searching for the second male lead;
she intended to contact Morgan Freeman.
Morgan Freeman—the future star of The Shawshank Redemption—would go on to receive six Academy Award nominations and win Best Supporting Actor.
But at that time, he was still working in theater.
Freeman moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and worked at Los Angeles Community College. During this period, he also lived in New York and worked as a dancer at the 1964 New York World's Fair, which is now held every two years.
In 1967, Morgan Freeman made his Broadway debut in the all-Black production of the musical Hello, Dolly! After that, he performed both on and off Broadway, demonstrating his versatility in musicals, modern theater, and classical Shakespearean plays. After establishing himself on Broadway, Freeman transitioned to television in 1971, playing Mr. Read Well on a children's English-learning program on PBS. During this time, he also landed his first leading film role in Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow. However, throughout the 1970s, his work appeared only sporadically on both the big and small screens. The roles he played lacked depth and impact, failing to fully showcase his talent or bring him significant recognition.
In addition, Morgan Freeman was known for his sharp intellect. He publicly opposed celebrating Black history as a separate category and refused to participate in related activities.
Black History Month, held annually in February to honor African American history and contributions to American culture and politics, was met with his famous remark:
"I don't need Black History Month. Black history is American history."
Morgan Freeman believed that the only way to end racism was to stop talking about it, and he also pointed out the absence of a "White History Month."
He once famously said, "I'm going to stop calling you a white man, and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a Black man."
Katherine wanted him to play the second male lead in her film Wasteland.
After contacting Los Angeles Community College, Katherine quickly obtained Freeman's contact information and soon reached out to him.
When Freeman learned that Katherine wanted to make a movie, he was stunned. At the time, Morgan Freeman, still in his twenties, had not yet filmed his first movie, The Pawnshop, in 1964—and even then, it had only been a cameo. Now someone was asking him to make a film? And to play a leading role?
Freeman had seen the astonishing The Blair Witch Project and had taken note of the thirteen-year-old girl who had supposedly created a box-office miracle. He knew she was already a billionaire, but he hadn't realized she was making a film—much less that she would approach him personally.
Moreover, Freeman was Black.
In those days, who would hire a Black actor?
To most people, what were Black actors? Villains. Box-office poison.
And although Freeman dreamed of performing on Broadway and making films, how could such a dream possibly come true?
Freeman was overwhelmed by this unexpected opportunity, but he felt he couldn't afford to let it slip away, and in the end, he accepted without hesitation.
While many believed Black actors were a risky choice, Katherine saw things differently. By the time filming was complete, the movie might not even be released until 1964 or 1965.
By then, anti-racist and antiwar sentiments would be sweeping American society.
More importantly, it would be the height of the hippie movement.
After that, Katherine's third choice for a male lead was Bruce Lee…