In fact, because of Gilbert's involvement, the Harry Potter project was somewhat of a loss for Warner Bros.
Originally, in the original timeline, this project solely belonged to Warner Bros. Pictures. But now, with Disney stepping in, it had become a joint project between the two studios.
Fortunately, Jeff Robinov was unaware of this. Otherwise, he would probably be furious.
Incidentally, after the Oscars, Jeff Robinov ended his tenure as CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures and moved to a position at Time Warner headquarters.
The new CEO was Doug Walter.
Regarding the competition for the CEO position, Doug Walter felt that he had won quite easily. He was in charge of Warner Bros.'s most profitable projects—specifically, Gilbert's projects.
With Gilbert's projects backing him, he secured the CEO position without any trouble.
Because of this, Doug Walter placed even greater importance on Gilbert and was very supportive of him.
This meeting about the Harry Potter project was held at Melon Studio, with Doug Walter personally attending to show his dedication to the project.
Michael Barnathan, who was in charge of the project, introduced the current situation: "So far, we've conducted preliminary market research, and the sales of the Harry Potter book series are incredibly strong.
Most importantly, it's not just children who love these books—even many adults are obsessed with this magical world."
"So, you're saying the novels already have a massive built-in fanbase?" Doug Walter asked.
"That's correct," Michael Barnathan continued, "According to J.K. Rowling's suggestions, she believes it would be best to shoot the film in the UK and to cast mostly British actors."
"That's not a great idea," Gilbert shook his head. "Setting the filming location in the UK is fine—after all, the novel is deeply rooted in British culture.
But restricting the casting to only British actors would make it extremely difficult to find the right people for the roles.
Has Rowling come to North America yet? I'd like to personally talk to her."
Michael Barnathan thought for a moment before replying, "She has a book signing event in New York next week."
"Alright then," Gilbert nodded. "I'll meet her in New York."
When the copyright agreement was signed, it was explicitly stated that Rowling only had advisory rights, not control over creative decisions. Gilbert had insisted on this clause, given Rowling's behavior in the previous timeline.
However, he had only secured the rights to the first three books at that time because Rowling hadn't yet planned out the later installments. Back then, she also had no idea how popular her books would become.
It was foreseeable that as the books and films gained immense popularity, Rowling would inevitably try to exert more influence over the production, and Gilbert knew he would have to make some compromises.
If he didn't, there was a real chance that Rowling might take the remaining books to a different media group or film studio.
Even though these concerns seemed distant for now, it was essential to plan ahead.
"What are the thoughts on selecting a director?" Robert Iger, who was also present at the meeting, asked with interest.
Gilbert thought for a moment before saying, "I suggest Chris Columbus as the director. He directed Home Alone and is highly skilled at adapting family-friendly films like this."
Since Gilbert had already confirmed that he wouldn't direct the film himself, Robert Iger considered the suggestion carefully. It seemed like a good fit, so he agreed.
This was just an initial meeting. After the meeting ended, Gilbert immediately instructed his assistant, Anna, to reach out to Chris Columbus.
At that moment, Chris Columbus was in the final stages of post-production on Bicentennial Man. When Gilbert's team contacted him, he hesitated—mainly because they didn't disclose the project details to him.
However, after meeting with Gilbert, he learned more about the opportunity.
"We're planning to bring Harry Potter to the big screen, and we'd like you to direct it," Gilbert said.
Chris Columbus was surprised. "I always thought this series was perfect for a film adaptation. I had no idea you already secured the rights."
Gilbert smiled and asked, "So, what do you think? Are you interested?"
Chris Columbus immediately responded, "Of course! I'd love to create a magical world for children to experience."
With Chris Columbus on board, the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone project was officially launched.
Regarding the casting process, while Rowling initially insisted on selecting only British actors, Gilbert met with her in New York and managed to change her mind.
Rowling was known for being quite strong-willed, but she couldn't maintain that stance around Gilbert.
Perhaps it was because she deeply admired and respected Gilbert—not in a romantic sense, but in a professional, appreciative way.
The project moved forward quickly. Once the director was confirmed, casting officially began.
To accommodate Rowling's preferences, Gilbert organized open auditions in the UK, with shortlisted candidates advancing to the final casting round.
Finally, it was time—Gilbert personally called Haley Joel Osment, inviting him to audition.
Ever since working with Gilbert on The Sixth Sense, Haley's fame had skyrocketed, making him a well-known child star. There was no doubt about his acting skills, so he easily progressed to the final round of auditions.
What surprised Gilbert, however, was that the top choices for the other two members of the trio turned out to be the same as in the previous timeline—Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
For the other roles, most of the casting decisions remained unchanged from the previous timeline. However, two roles did see significant changes—Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore.
Gilbert couldn't remember exactly who played those characters in the previous timeline. He recalled that the original Dumbledore actor had passed away after the first two films, but beyond that, he wasn't sure.
This time, however, different actors were cast.
For Hagrid, the role went to Brad Garrett—a television actor best known for starring in Everybody Loves Raymond. He had also appeared in numerous films.
The reason for choosing him was simple: Brad Garrett stood at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches (204 cm), making him physically fit for the role of Hagrid, a half-giant.
As for the role of Dumbledore, Gilbert personally made the final decision.
Originally, he had considered letting his own old man take the role, but the old man wasn't interested in playing around with a bunch of kids. So, instead, Gilbert approached Christopher Lee.
Christopher Lee was a devoted fan of The Lord of the Rings. When he heard that Gilbert was bringing The Lord of the Rings to the big screen, he fervently requested to play Gandalf.
However, Gilbert had already made his decision regarding the role of Gandalf.
Instead, he gave Christopher Lee the role of Saruman and, at the same time, slotted him into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as Dumbledore.
By the end of April, the final casting decisions for the trio were set in stone. Haley Joel Osment was chosen to play Harry Potter.
Meanwhile, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson also passed the auditions and were cast as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively.
According to the production schedule, the film was set to be shot in the UK and was expected to be released in the year 2000.
Although Gilbert was the producer of the film, once he finished overseeing the casting process, he delegated the actual production work to producer Michael Barnathan and director Chris Columbus.
After all, Gilbert had his own matters to attend to and couldn't stay focused on this project indefinitely.
Aside from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Gilbert also instructed his investment manager, David, to begin gradually selling off some of the internet company stocks in his portfolio.
The exact timing was unclear, but the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s was about to burst. Now was the time to sell and secure a hefty cash flow.
However, there were a few companies Gilbert did not sell, primarily the two internet companies under his own control.
As per Gilbert's instructions, Watermelon and Banana slowed their pace, shifting to a more conservative approach to safely weather the impending dot-com winter.
At the same time, Gilbert held on to shares of a select few companies, such as Amazon and Apple. As for the others, if they weren't well-known in his past life, he sold them off without hesitation.
Gilbert's strategy as an outsider in the investment world was simple—he only kept shares in companies he had heard of before.
Typically, if a company had a big reputation, it meant they had survived the internet downturn and grown successfully. Following this logic, he figured his choices were unlikely to go wrong.
When Gilbert instructed David to sell off stocks from some of the most hyped companies, David thought his boss had lost his mind.
The internet sector was thriving, with seemingly endless room for growth. Selling off these high-flying stocks at this moment—wasn't that pure madness?
Although David tried his best to persuade Gilbert otherwise, his boss had already made up his mind. Left with no choice, David had to follow orders and begin the gradual sell-off, a process that would take two years to complete.
At the same time, David secretly wondered whether Gilbert had received some kind of inside information from a major Jewish financial group—something he wasn't privy to.
Unfortunately, he couldn't ask for the specific reasons. All he could do was execute his boss's orders and sell the stocks as instructed.
While David managed the investments, Gilbert finally had a rare opportunity to take a break.
Meanwhile, Charlize Theron had just finished filming Always Sunshine with Sophia.
After wrapping up the shoot, Charlize Theron asked Gilbert, "Do you want to come to South Africa with me?"
"What are you going to South Africa for?" Gilbert asked.
Charlize Theron replied, "I'm an ambassador for a charity organization over there. I'm going to attend an event and visit some impoverished areas."
Gilbert wasn't particularly interested, but Charlize Theron pouted and pleaded, "Come with me, please? Pretty please?"
Faced with such a beautiful woman's request, Gilbert found it hard to refuse, so he reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, fine. I'll come with you and take a look around. I've never been to South Africa before."
Charlize Theron smiled, delighted. "I knew you'd say yes, darling! Here's your reward!"
With that, she leaned in and gave Gilbert a soft kiss on the lips.
"That's not enough of a reward," Gilbert said, pulling Charlize Theron into his arms.
"Not here…" Charlize Theron gently pushed Gilbert's hand away and whispered, "Let's go to the bedroom…"
With that, Charlize Theron pulled Gilbert toward the bedroom, where an earth-shattering battle was about to commence. The clash was bound to be intense.
Since Gilbert was too powerful, Charlize Theron couldn't hold her ground alone. Fortunately, Jennifer Connelly had just returned from a promotional event and was promptly pulled into the fray.
And so, the battle raged on once more. This time, at least, it ended in a hard-fought draw.
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