January 23, 2000—the 57th Golden Globe Awards dinner was happening.
As a young guy in the game, Dunn knew he *had* to show up to stuff like the Golden Globes or Oscars unless something crazy came up. It's all about face time—building cred. Plus, you can't come off as some cocky jerk to the judges. Gotta play it humble and relatable, you know?
On January 20, Dunn flew back to California, but the first thing he heard wasn't the usual Golden Globes buzz. Nope—it was a bombshell about a major shake-up in the industry.
At 20th Century Fox's second shareholder meeting of the year, the board chairman and CEO, Bill Mechanic, got officially booted!
Tom Rothman finally snagged the top spot at Fox, just like he'd always wanted.
When Dunn heard the news, he went quiet for a while, then told his secretary to set up a dinner invite for Bill Mechanic.
Bill turned down the dinner, though. He knew Dunn had something to say, so he just showed up at Dunn Films instead.
Watching Isla Fisher bustling around, Bill raised an eyebrow. "New secretary?"
"Nah, Reese is off shooting a movie. Isla's actually an actress too," Dunn explained.
"She's pretty cute."
Dunn cracked up. "Bill, you're still in the mood to notice that? Guess you're not as down in the dumps as I thought!"
Bill Mechanic let out a sigh and waved it off. "I saw this coming since the start of the year. Been mentally prepped for a while."
Dunn frowned, playing dumb. "Bill, what the heck happened? Sure, *Fight Club* flopped, but you've made Fox so much cash over the years—what gives?"
"Yeah, ever since I left Disney in '94 and came to 20th Century Fox, I've had some big wins," Bill said, his expression turning a bit glum. He shook his head. "But that's the gig for execs, right? You make money, shareholders are happy, you stay. You lose money, they're pissed, you're out."
"Just *Fight Club*, though? Was it really that bad?" Dunn pressed.
"It's only part of it. Last year's slate at Fox was a total mess. The best box office we got was *Entrapment*, and it barely hit 24th for the year. Plus…" Bill trailed off, shaking his head again.
Dunn knew exactly why but kept up the act. "Why, though? Didn't I help? *Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace* raked in $1.1 billion worldwide! *The Wedding Crashers* pulled $210 million in North America—fourth biggest of the year! That's not shabby!"
Bill Mechanic stared at Dunn, noticing his clueless look, and paused. "News Corp owns Fox, right? Back in the day, they split the power: I handled original projects, Tom Rothman got the franchises. Stuff like *Die Hard*, *Star Wars*, *X-Men*—all his turf. And *The Wedding Crashers*? I didn't even get the distribution rights."
"What? That's how it went down?!" Dunn's jaw dropped, his face flashing with fake shock and anger. "Bill, why didn't you say something? With our history, if you'd just asked, I'd have handed you *Wedding Crashers*' distribution in a heartbeat!"
Bill gave a quiet, bitter chuckle to himself.
Back then, he'd been too ambitious, chasing after big A-list projects. Who'd have thought a comedy with an $18 million budget could shift the whole power dynamic at Fox?
If he'd seen it coming, Bill Mechanic would've fought tooth and nail for *Wedding Crashers*.
"Water under the bridge now—no point dwelling on it," Bill sighed, waving it off again. "Besides, Tom Rothman helped you out plenty. It was a fair trade for Dunn Films' interests."
Dunn's face turned serious. "Bill, you're wrong there. I care more about loyalty than profits! If you hadn't tapped me to direct *Titanic* back then, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Bill's cheeks flushed a bit, a flicker of pride lighting up his face.
No doubt about it—that was the crowning achievement of his career!
No matter how high Dunn climbed, Bill would always be the guy who spotted his talent first.
"Let's drop it," Bill said, shifting gears. "About *Spider-Man*'s distribution—we only had a verbal deal. I didn't see this mess coming. Promo season's closing in, so you'd better lock in talks fast. The terms shouldn't be too bad."
"With Tom Rothman?" Dunn quirked a brow.
Bill nodded. "You two have some old beef, sure, but that's small potatoes. Tom's not dumb enough to let personal stuff tank a deal. Your movies? No studio's turning those down—not even him!"
"No, no, Bill, you've got it twisted," Dunn said, shaking his head hard. "Bill, Tom Rothman shoved you out and stole your spot. Don't you want payback?"
"Payback?" Bill let out a dry laugh.
He was powerless now—just another producer. How was he supposed to take on Fox's new big shot?
No juice, no chance!
"Bill, I can help you!" Dunn's eyes blazed with determination as he locked onto him.
"You? Help me? How?"
Bill wasn't doubting Dunn's skills—just that Dunn Films, as it stood, didn't have the muscle to go toe-to-toe with Fox.
Dunn leaned back, crossing his legs and sipping his coffee with a sly, knowing look. "Bill, tell me this—if you quit, and right after, Twentieth Century Fox loses Dunn Films as a partner, you think Tom Rothman's gonna have a good time?"
"What?!"
Bill Mechanic was floored. He couldn't believe Dunn just threw out such a wild idea—his jaw practically hit the table!
"Bill, I'm a stubborn guy," Dunn said, grinning. "If someone's good to me, I'll bend over backwards for them. But if they stab me in the back? Oh, I'm not letting that slide. Revenge might take ten years, but I'll get it!"
Suddenly, he sat up straight, his voice turning icy. "Ever since I started shooting *Titanic*, Tom Rothman's been screwing me over behind the scenes. Sure, we had a decent run distributing *Wedding Crashers*, but that was pure business—no love lost there. My grudge? Still unpaid!"
"Dunn…" Bill started, but Dunn cut him off with a half-smirk.
"Bill, looks like we've got a common enemy, huh?"
Bill Mechanic sat there, mulling it over. His weathered face softened, showing a rare flicker of emotion. With a sigh, he said, "Dunn, you don't have to do this."
Dunn shook his head firmly. "Bill, it's simple—you're my friend."
"Twentieth Century Fox… you can't take them on," Bill muttered, shaking his head.
Dunn laughed. "Here's the truth—I've already pissed off Disney, and Warner Bros is next on my list. What's one more with Fox? No biggie."
Bill stared at him, wide-eyed, like he was looking at some kind of alien.
Dunn, totally relaxed, started laying out his beef with Warner and Disney, taking his time. "Back in '94, Jeffrey Katzenberg and I both ditched Disney. He started DreamWorks Animation, I jumped to Fox. Since then, Disney's movie game's been a mess. You don't need to sweat them too much," Bill chimed in, pausing to think. "Their big thing now is TV—networks and channels. But Warner Bros? I'd say play nice with them."
Dunn burst out laughing, thumping his chest. "Bill, I've got *huge* ambitions!"
"Yeah, but you can't just pick fights everywhere!"
"That's why I need someone smart, respected, connected—someone seasoned—to back me up." Dunn shot him a cheeky grin.
Bill didn't catch on at first, blinking in confusion.
Dunn chuckled. "Bill, what's next after Fox? You're not ready to retire, right?"
Bill shrugged casually. "Producing again, like in the old days? Nah, I don't have the energy. Maybe I'll head to the Academy, do some film theory stuff."
Dunn nodded, piecing it together. Sounded like Bill was on track to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and climb the ranks—maybe even hit Oscar committee chair, just like history said. But Dunn wanted to shake things up. "Ever thought about switching companies?"
Bill's eyes widened as it clicked. "Wait… you want me to join Dunn Films?!"
Dunn cracked up. "Bill, you finally got it! Haha!"
Bill smirked, teasing. "Your ambition's off the charts. You think that's even possible?"
"Why not?" Dunn straightened up, all serious and fired up. "Sure, Dunn Films isn't Fox—yet. But we can grind for it! Bill, you're the one who tapped me for *Titanic*. Where's that faith now?"
Bill went quiet, lost in thought, speechless for a long stretch.
He couldn't figure it out himself. Back when they shot *Titanic*, he'd trusted Dunn like crazy. But after that? That trust just… faded. He'd missed out on *Wedding Crashers*' distribution, lost his spot as Fox's chairman and CEO.
Of course, Dunn's secret sauce—some mysterious system—was at play, but Bill had no clue.
All he knew was Dunn's *Titanic* triumph had saved his shaky career once. Then, ignoring Dunn later got him canned.
"Trust Dunn, win it all."
"Ditch Dunn, lose everything."
The thought popped into Bill's head out of nowhere, startling even him.