[Shout out to Timothy S!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 110
When Kazir said it, both Michaels realized his intention. Kazir was not interested in money, he had another motive.
The two old men looked at each other. Then Michael Eisner put down his wine glass and crossed his arms.
"What do you want?"
"Chairman Eisner, I want to knock a million off the price. But I have a very small request."
'Small request, my ass. Your grin is so wide you look like a devil.'
The old men realized that Kazir Grey was not that simple.
"It's very simple. I want you to get rid of the pest in your company. I have heard that the pest is crawling around in your administration. I'm worried about what the pest might do to you, Mr. Eisner."
"..."
Michael Eisner understood Kazir's intention. He was old and experienced.
'So he wants me to kick Harvey Weinstein out of Walt Disney.'
Kazir didn't say anything obvious, but Michael Eisner easily understood his words.
"... You have to understand, making a decision like this is messy. The pest could fly in and make a mess. Give me a week. I'll think about it."
"Then thank you, Chairman, for giving me the chance to talk to you."
Kazir bowed and left the private room.
When Kazir was gone, the two old men sighed.
"I thought we were cunning, but this guy is too calculating. He probably expected this meeting and planned his move."
Michael Ovitz muttered. He had the feeling that Kazir Grey had a clear goal for this meeting. He listened the whole time and found out that Kazir understood the situation.
"Indeed. I didn't sense any nervousness on his part."
Michael Eisner nodded.
They were just trying to buy a script, but instead they got a terrifying proposal.
This man, Kazir Grey, was trying to convince them to cut Harvey Weinstein out of Miramax.
"It's understandable because Harvey Weinstein is one of the people who caused Kazir trouble."
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Michael Ovitz added.
"Ovitz, I can see that you have a favorable opinion of Kazir Grey. What do you think of him?"
"The reason I like him is because he signed a deal with CAA. Simple as that. Even though I'm not the president of CAA anymore, I'd rather work with them than WMA."
Michael Ovitz was kicked out of the William Morris Agency and had a grudge against the company. He formed CAA with the others and slowly built up the agency.
Of course, he would never help WMA destroy Kazir's career. When the scandal started, Michael Ovitz did his best to maintain his neutral position.
'Phenomenon and The Hangover were clashing at the time, so Walt Disney agreed with Harvey Weinstein's decision to destroy his career.'
Michael Eisner thought. There were two sides to the coin, and he knew why Walt Disney had partnered with WMA.
But lately, Harvey Weinstein had become an eyesore.
"Harvey Weinstein is getting closer to the shareholders. He is trying to consolidate his position." Michael Ovitz recalled.
"On top of that... He reached out to Roy Disney."
"..."
When Ovitz said that, Chairman Eisner got serious.
There was only one person in Walt Disney who could challenge his authority. It was the Disney family, specifically Roy Disney.
"The Disney family has already lost control of the company, and you already have the ultimate authority. But let's not forget that the company is owned by the major shareholders of Walt Disney. It will be problematic if they start to act."
"I understand."
Michael Eisner could not agree more. The Walt Disney of the Disney family was already gone. Now it was Michael Eisner's Walt Disney.
Still, the chances of the Disney family taking over the company were obvious.
"If Harvey Weinstein sides with Roy Disney and tries to make an alliance with the shareholders, it will be bad for both of us."
President Ovitz was hired by Chairman Eisner, so they were on the same side. If one of them was forced out, they would lose a tremendous amount of strength.
In this timeline, the two friends had a better relationship. Perhaps Kazir actually changed the timeline.
"The only thing stopping us from expelling the Weinstein brothers is their influence at Miramax. If we recklessly kicked them out, Miramax might cease to function altogether."
From the moment Walt Disney reached out to Miramax, it was clear what their intentions were. Miramax was getting stronger, and the Big Six realized it very early on. So the Big Six did their best to keep Miramax from getting better.
'The Weinstein brothers were broke at the time, so they were forced to sell Miramax to Walt Disney.'
To be honest, Michael Eisner had enough evidence to send Harvey Weinstein to jail. He knew all of his dirty deeds. The only thing stopping him was the consequences.
He wanted to get rid of Harvey Weinstein as soon as Miramax was stable. But the company was still growing.
If there was one other thing to consider, it was the fact that Harvey Weinstein was Jewish. So was Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz.
'This is crazy because Kazir Grey is also Jewish.'
Yet both sides were trying to sabotage each other.
"First of all, let's think seriously about this. We can't throw Harvey Weinstein out because he's still useful."
"I understand. I will try to keep informed about his relationship with Roy Disney."
The two old men agreed. It was not difficult who to choose between Harvey Weinstein and Kazir Grey.
Harvey Weinstein was a talented executive. Even though he was a bad guy, the truth is that he got Miramax to where it is now.
As for Kazir Grey. It was obvious that his talent was as a director. He could make good movies, especially comedies.
"Kazir's new project is an action movie, right?"
"That's right." Michael Ovitz nodded.
"What a waste... If he chooses a comedy, I will not hesitate to sign a deal with him. Even a thriller like Se7en is no problem. But an action movie? Does he even know how difficult it is to shoot an action movie? A lot of accidents can happen when shooting an action movie."