Sadie laughed. “Ha. The race to beat Rian Johnson is on.”
“He doesn’t want much, does he?”
“That’s RJ for you,” Sadie remarked sadly.
“There must be a way to keep the network happy as well as restore some kind of peace,”
“If there is, it’s not presenting itself to me.”
“I mean, couldn’t RJ just direct the remainder of the show?” I suggested.
“He doesn’t have the time,” Sadie said, rubbing a hand across her face. “We get this next script picked up, we’re straight into pre-production on that, plus he has a packed schedule of slate development coming up that we somehow need to fit in.”
“No wonder Elliot’s so involved,” I said.
“You’re telling me,” Sadie said. “Elliot is about the onlything holding everything together. The network loves him. He steps away now? Pfft. Definitely kiss this show goodbye.”
“Maybe Elliot should direct the show then.”
“RJ would never go for that,” Sadie retorted, but she didn’t sound fully convinced by her words. “Although, I guess I could suggest it. El is more than overdue for a step up.”
The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Elliot had definitely proven himself at RJF to be reliable, plus there was no doubting his creative flair. “Why wouldn’t RJ want Elliot to direct?”
“Oh, it’s a hunch,” Sadie said quickly. “But RJ is particular, and Elliot is one of the few people in the world who gets him, who ensures everything happens the way it should.”
“Elliot’s too good as RJ’s assistant.” I understood his predicament all too well. “Which is why this script needs to get greenlit. RJ promised Elliot he could direct the second unit.”
“I’d be amazed if RJ follows through with that,” Sadie said.
I stilled. “What?”
“Like I say, just a hunch,” Sadie added.
I shook my head. No, no, no. RJ could not renege on this. “But Elliot needs this to happen,” I said. “He deserves it.”
“It’s not down to me,” Sadie said defensively. “And, yeah, I like the guy, he is capable of way more than putting out RJ’s fires. But if I were RJ, I’d be thinking long and hard before letting someone like that progress. He’d have a hard time replacing Elliot and RJ needs an Elliot.”
“I really hope you’re wrong,” I said sadly.
Sadie smiled. “Me too—” Her phone buzzed. “’Scuse me.” She swiveled her seat away to answer it, barking her name at the caller like some kind of warning. There was silence as she listened, but Sadie didn’t need to say anything for me to know it was not welcome news. She went rigid, her ears reddening.“Are we allowed to know why—” She exhaled impatiently, waited. “But we had everything lined up,” she said. “Are you really saying it’s us or this other one? Am I allowed to know who—? Confidentiality, sure, but come on, we’ve been business partners for years.” She listened, tapping a manicured crimson nail against the desk. “I guess I’m a little surprised, that’s all. But you know we’ll bring the goods, so why— Uh-huh, uh-huh. Fine, thanks. Bye.”
I waited a few beats before leaning forward. “Everything okay?”
“No.” Sadie eyeballed me. “Did you have any more dealings with Claude Melroy after that night at Nocturne?”
“Of course not!” My stomach vaulted at the memory.
“He’s threatening to pull funding,” Sadie said.
“What?” My stomach went from churning to plummeting. “But the pitch is next week, why?”
“I’m not sure,” Sadie said. “I thought we’d addressed his concerns. But it seems he’s engaging with another producer who stepped forward only this week with a compelling project, and they are also pitching to Janice next week. Melroy thinks Janice will greenlight just one of the films next week so he will only fund the winning one.”
“What?” I’d never heard anything like it. “This is crazy.”
“I need to confirm this with Janice’s office,” Sadie muttered. “Could you give me the room, please?”
“Of course.” But I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Was it possible the project Elliot and I had slogged away at would never be greenlit? This was a serious setback, and to come so close to the actual pitch felt especially cruel.
