About this project on Monroe, Dunn gave it the green light. Not right now, though—maybe in the future when the timing's better, we can get it rolling.
Manola Dagis was pumped. She felt like she'd finally met a boss who got her. "There's also this one called *Girl, Interrupted*. It's by Susanna Kaysen, her autobiography. I think it's got real potential for an adaptation."
Andrew O'Hare nodded. "It's a female-driven story. If we can get a big-name actress on board, it could do pretty well at the box office."
For the first time, the two analysts were on the same page, and Dunn couldn't help but grin. "Alright then, let's secure the rights for that one!"
Manola Dagis was thrilled. "Next up are works from two famous writers—Annie Rupp and Stephen King."
Dunn broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't heard of either of them!
"Annie Rupp's novel *True Love Express* won the National Book Award in '93 and the Pulitzer in '94. It's got huge adaptation potential…"
Before she could finish, Dunn frowned and cut in, "If it's that famous, hasn't someone already bought the rights?"
Manola gave an awkward smile. "Yeah, Columbia Pictures snatched up the movie rights two years ago. But I'm talking about another one of her works—a short story published in the *New York Times* this year. Word is it'll be part of a collection next year."
"Oh?" Dunn raised an eyebrow. Published in the *New York Times*? That's gotta be something special. Who's this Annie Rupp anyway? Sounds like a big deal.
"It's called *Brokeback Mountain*."
"Pfft!" Dunn, mid-sip of his coffee, spat it out all over the place!
"Boss!" Andrew and Manola shouted in unison. "You okay?"
Dunn grabbed a napkin, wiping down his pants with a sheepish grin. "I'm fine, just choked a bit. Uh… I think since Annie Rupp's such a renowned writer, her work's gotta be good. Let's make sure we grab the rights to *Brokeback Mountain*!"
Manola smiled, relieved. "With your approval, I'm all set. Now onto Stephen King's stuff. He wrote a book last year called *The Green Mile*. It's got a lot of heart."
Andrew O'Hare smirked. "Stephen's stuff? Ever since the *Shawshank Redemption* fiasco, I've been skeptical about him."
Dunn gave a half-smile. "Andrew, market analysis isn't about gut feelings, you know."
Andrew chuckled awkwardly.
Manola shot Andrew a smug glance before adding, "Oh, and Stephen King's got this classic fantasy series too—*The Dark Tower*! I think it could be a massive hit if we adapt it."
Dunn wasn't so sure. Since when did an artsy type like her know market trends?
Andrew's face turned serious. "*The Dark Tower* has four parts out so far, and I've read them all. They're amazing, but… I don't think it'd work as a movie."
"Why not?" Manola's eyes widened.
Andrew explained slowly, "The style's tricky. Big commercial films need to fit mainstream values. *The Dark Tower* has this cult vibe—small audience, lots of weird, anti-logic stuff. Most people wouldn't get it. For a blockbuster, you want something simple and fun."
Dunn blinked, an idea sparking. "What about turning it into a TV series?"
With how bold American TV can get, a little cult flair might actually make it a hit.
"Uh… I guess that could work?" Andrew seemed caught off guard. "Wait, boss, you wanna make a TV show? Aren't we a movie company?"
Dunn laughed. "Let's just secure the rights for now. Companies gotta grow, right?"
Manola gave him a knowing look. "Boss, Stephen King's one of the most famous popular writers in America. His rights don't come cheap."
"Uh…" Dunn faltered.
After investing in stocks and movies, Dunn only had about $5 million in spare cash. With company expenses to cover, shelling out millions for a single set of rights wasn't exactly doable.
"Four million max—that's all I can swing right now," Dunn said after a pause. "You decide which rights to prioritize and which ones to push back, Manola. Work with George on this."
"Four million?" Manola beamed. With that budget, aside from Stephen King's stuff, they could probably snag everything else.
"Anything else?" Dunn asked. Sure, Manola had nearly drained his wallet, but hearing all these familiar titles got him pretty hyped.
Manola's eye for classics was spot on—she had a knack for picking winners! Not all of them might win Oscars, but they'd definitely go down as iconic films in history.
Dunn suddenly realized he might be on the verge of striking it big. With Manola and the soon-to-be-formed arts analysis department, he could probably dominate half the Oscars in the future with Dunn Films.
Now he was curious what Andrew and the future market analysis team might bring to the table.
"There's one last book," Manola said, looking a bit nervous. "It's by a good friend of mine. She's already got a deal with a publisher—it's coming out next April." She seemed worried Dunn might think she was just doing a favor for a buddy.
Dunn smiled warmly. "No worries, Manola. Tell me about it."
"Her name's Sylvia Nassar. We studied avant-garde stuff together. She was commissioned by John Nash to write his biography."
The name hit Dunn like a bolt of lightning, his breath catching. "John Nash? As in the 'game theory' economist?"
Manola's eyes lit up. "You know him, boss? Yeah, he's pretty famous—won the Nobel Prize three years ago. Sylvia started working on his bio around then."
Dunn took a deep breath. "What's the book called?"
"*A Beautiful Mind*."
"Called it!" Dunn clenched his fist under the table, trying not to look too excited.
Seeing how much the boss was vibing with Manola's picks, Andrew felt a little competitive. "Boss, in that case, I've got two recommendations too!"
"Oh? Let's hear 'em!" Dunn was practically giddy. This was shaping up to be a goldmine.
"*The Chronicles of Narnia*, by the British writer Lewis. It's been called the greatest fantasy work since *The Lord of the Rings*." Andrew didn't even need to prep—he knew this stuff cold.
Dunn raised an eyebrow. He'd heard of it back when they nabbed the *Harry Potter* rights. "But… something that famous, are the rights even still available?"
Andrew hesitated. "It's way more fantastical than *The Lord of the Rings*, so it's tough to adapt. The special effects demands are huge—no studio's dared touch it yet. But with how fast tech's improving, I bet it'll hit the big screen within the next decade."
Dunn frowned. He'd seen the adapted movies in his past life. The first one was decent, but the sequels? Total flops. Was it worth grabbing the rights?
Not wanting to crush Andrew's enthusiasm, he smiled. "Alright, look into it. What's the other one?"
With his past-life experience, Dunn decided if they got the *Narnia* rights, they'd only do one film—no sequels!
"The other one's not well-known. It just came out last year, didn't even make any bestseller lists. I only noticed it 'cause I'm into fantasy."
"What's it called?"
"*A Song of Ice and Fire*."
"Pfft!" Dunn sprayed his coffee again.
Holy cow! The stars were aligning—he might just rule the world with this lineup!
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