Chapter 889 Kicking The Iron Plate
Oliver slammed the table and declared, "This is going to be a smash hit! I've had plenty of blockbusters under my belt. I've already gone through the script for this one, and trust me, it's gold." Abigail inwardly sighed.
Every director thinks their own project is destined for success before shooting even begins. Some of them even have the nerve to blame the audience's taste when things don't go as planned. But the reality is, without the audience, they wouldn't achieve anything.
"If you're so confident, maybe we should make a little bet," Shaunee suggested, her voice slightly nervous.
Oliver hesitated at the idea of a bet. "Miss, it wouldn't be fair to bet on it. What if luck isn't on our side when it airs? You know how unpredictable luck can be, right?"
Shaunee licked her lips and furrowed her brow as she pondered.
Abigail poured a glass of wine for Oliver. "Is it really impossible to secure investment? Isn't there anyone in the Hinton Family who could lend a hand?"
Oliver chuckled bitterly. "We do have someone, but why would they help someone unrelated like me?"
Shaunee scratched her head. "You know, it's probably because the Hinton Family does have some clout in Capitalis. That's why they're bold enough to pick on you guys like this."
"What about Mr. Graham? Can he think of any way out of this?" Oliver turned to Abigail for guidance.
"He's really in a tough spot and will probably face some serious questioning tomorrow." Abigail sighed, and her expression darkened.
With things going south like this, Oliver found himself at a loss.
If even Sean couldn't fix things, they were surely in a bind.
Shaunee propped her chin up with her hand and stayed quiet.
"Maybe we should just pause the project for now?" Oliver finally relented as he felt trapped.
Given the circumstances, halting the project seemed like the only sensible choice, and investors were being threatened, overtly or covertly.
Abigail wanted to invest alongside him, but she had a bunch of other film projects lined up. If she poured money into his project and then couldn't fund the next ones, it would be a mess. After dinner, Shaunee felt uneasy.
As soon as she was in the bathroom with Abigail, she whispered, "Can't you pitch in with the investment?"
"This is going to be a long struggle. Even if you chip in now, can you do it for the next project, too? And what if it doesn't turn a profit? You and Trekell could end up in bankruptcy. Putting a hold on the project isn't a bad idea. Let's just wait and see how things play out," Abigail replied calmly.
Taking a step back sometimes wasn't such a bad idea.
After Oliver left, he took to Instagram to announce that due to investment issues, the production of the film would be put on hold until further notice.
He had indeed directed several impressive films in the past, and the film he was currently working on had garnered massive attention and was actually based on a popular online novel. Now, both the fans of the book and the fans of the drama were feeling disgruntled.
As soon as Abigail arrived home, she was greeted by a pop-up notification of his latest Instagram post on her phone.
She sat down on the sofa, tapped on the notification, and dove straight into the comments section.
'Why the sudden pullback in investment? Is there something wrong with the film?'
'This announcement is so vague. What's really going on? We were all eagerly anticipating this film!'
'If "Red Beauty" is facing issues and now Oliver's film as well, is the entertainment industry on the brink of change? But why can't they continue filming the costume drama? There shouldn't be anything controversial about it, right?'
Oliver's Instagram post ignited a flurry of discussion.
The following day, other drama crews collaborating with L.Moon also reached out to her and decided to temporarily pause their projects one after another.
Since L.Moon's design team was handling many of the costume dramas, the sudden issues encountered by five or six dramas made netizens begin to piece together the puzzle.
"Red Beauty" convinced everyone
that there were quality issues with
the costumes, leading to the
termination of their cooperation with L.Moon. And it turns out, all the dramas directed by Oliver are. somehow linked to L.Moon. funds being pulled out, he had no
other option but to part ways. What's really going on? Did L.Moon run into some trouble?'
'Well, word on the inside says that rumor has it that it's because L.Moon rubbed a big shot with serious connections the wrong
and now this big shot is pulling strings behind the scenes. Just think about it: who could have clashed
with L.Moon before the whole
debacle with "Red Beauty?" Content
'Now it all starts to make sense. It's like, out of the blue, this major issue crops up, and it turns out it's all because some industry princess is making moves.'
'Oh, shush now. We can't spill all the beans, but let's just say she's a young genius writer, worshipped by fans as a true god, so she throws punches at veteran creators and kicks aside other up-and-coming writers in the industry.'
Everyone knew it was Callen throwing shade.
Abigail just waited to see how this would play out.
Callen probably thought she could swoop in and save the day for these struggling drama crews. But even if every single crew breached their contract and had to fork over millions in compensation, she would still be fine with it.
When something this big happened on such a grand scale, people would start to connect the dots.
No matter how hard Callen tried to keep things under wraps, the fact remained that she and L.Moon had some beef online before.
She even tried to manipulate public opinion and hoped to incite netizens to attack L.Moon.
But nowadays, netizens weren't as gullible as they used to be. They had brains when they surfed online.
When something started buzzing, it didn't take long for it to become a trending topic.
Abigail knew she couldn't just sit idly by, so she wasted no time in setting the record straight.
'I've gathered evidence, and I'll sue anyone who spreads false information online. Let's all be rational and refrain from attacking innocent folks just because we're emotional,' she urged.
She even shared a lawyer's letter, calling out those leaking internal info and those making snide remarks about her.
Within hours, one netizen had already backtracked, deleting their comments and offering up an apology.
Abigail sat back and quietly took in Callen's strategic moves.
Come afternoon, the netizen who leaked internal info made a bold move.
'@SlowMelody, you're feeling pretty bold, huh? If you don't slap me with a lawsuit, you're just a wimp! Just because your uncle is a director and your unde-in-law is a prosecutor you think you're untouchable! I checked with them. They had no clue you were stirring up trouble. Using your family's power to bully ordinary folks? I won't stand for it. If you don't take legal action, I'll lose even more respect for you.'