The name "Tarz TV" was all too familiar to Dunn. Known for its bold, boundary-pushing shows, it had once drawn a massive crowd of die-hard fans. Sadly, unlike heavyweights like HB, HTIE, or A, Tarz didn't have deep pockets or powerful backers. With limited funds, they couldn't churn out as many series, so they leaned hard on renting out licensing rights. That capped their growth big time. At their peak, they barely hit 11 million subscribers.
But now, Dunn Films was ready to shake things up and rewrite Tarz's fate. Taking on HB and slugging it out with HTIE? That wasn't just a pipe dream anymore!
Dunn made a quick trip to Marvel's California office, dropping by to say hi to the big shots and scope out their headquarters. The place was an old relic—over 40 years old—smack in the city center. It had decent space but felt outdated, like it was stuck in the past.
He already had a plan brewing. Once Dunn Films' shiny new HQ was built, Marvel Entertainment would move in. This old California office, along with the New York headquarters, could be torn down or repurposed—maybe even sold off for a cool $20 million or so.
Ever since Dunn started filming, Marvel's comic sales had skyrocketed. In just the first quarter of 2000, they sold 50,000 copies. Compare that to all of 1999, when they barely hit 120,000! Movies were the king of entertainment, and even before the release, Marvel's execs could already see the light of a full-on revival.
This was a whole different game compared to their past gig with New Line. New Line made niche action-thriller flicks; Dunn was crafting blockbuster entertainment series. No contest there!
Marvel Entertainment's CEO, Alan Vann, personally gave Dunn the grand tour, strolling through the halls and reminiscing about Marvel's glory days. They stopped in front of a massive Captain America portrait. Alan sighed, "Back in the day, before Spider-Man swung in, Captain America was Marvel's backbone!"
Dunn, hands behind his back, grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah, he's the symbol of American grit! Back when the country was duking it out with Germany, Japan, and Italy, we needed a figure like him to rally everyone through the tough times."
Alan added, "That vibe stuck around until after Vietnam. Once peace hit, Captain America's star faded, and we had to roll out a new icon."
"Not Spider-Man, right?" Dunn teased.
"Yup, Spider-Man!" Alan chuckled. "Ever notice his suit's colors? Same red, white, and blue as Cap—basically the flag reborn!"
Dunn laughed. "So Spider-Man's the peacetime Captain, huh? 🕷️"
Alan suddenly got serious. "Captain America's getting the movie treatment too, right?"
Dunn paused, then nodded openly. "Yup, it's in the works. Superhero films need some thawing time, but once they hit screens, we'll unleash our heroes on the market. Captain America's gotta be the first pick!" 🇺🇸
Alan let out a wistful sigh. "Man, I can't wait for that day."
Dunn smirked and shook his head. "Oh, by the way—did we get Blade's rights back yet?"
Alan's face stiffened, a bit embarrassed. "We had a deal lined up with New Line. Bob Shay's cool with us and agreed to hand Blade back. But at the last second, Warner Bros swooped in and told New Line to hold off."
"What?!" Dunn's expression darkened.
Alan shrugged helplessly. "Your name's huge now, Dunn. All of Hollywood's got eyes on you. If you can revive the superhero movie market, Warner's all for it. Plus… I heard some rumors."
"Spill it," Dunn said.
"I heard Warner doesn't want to beef with you over something as small as Blade. They've got DC Comics—Batman and Superman are their aces. They don't care about a minor player like Blade. Word is… they're looking to team up with you more."
Dunn got it instantly and let out a cold chuckle. "Oh, I see."
Alan grinned. "I don't know the full scoop, heh. But ever since that first trailer dropped, comic sales have spiked too!"
Dunn mulled it over. "Alan, this stays between us—company secret. If we can't snag Blade's rights back, we'll shelve it for now. I'll deal with Warner myself."
Just then, Dunn's assistant, Ella Fisher, came rushing over, her face pale with panic and a hint of fear. She shot a cautious glance at Alan. "Dunn…"
Dunn raised an eyebrow. Once Alan tactfully stepped away, he asked, "What's up?"
"FBI! The FBI's here!" Ella's voice trembled. "They say you're tied to some major economic crime and need to be investigated. Dunn, what's going on?!"
She was young, and as she spoke, her eyes started welling up. Dunn was the company's rock—her future, her hope. Forget her acting career; just that one book had earned her total trust in him.
"Economic crime?" Dunn's calm facade shattered. His face went white, his body tensing up. He was completely thrown.
---
Back in the car, heading to Dunn Films, he finally pieced some of it together as he cooled off. The Nasdaq was a mess—daily headlines screamed about investors jumping off buildings, Wall Street was a graveyard, and internet companies were dropping like flies. The feds had stepped in, with banks and top Wall Street firms trying to prop up the market, but it wasn't working. The crash was unstoppable.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department was digging into economic crimes tied to the Nasdaq bust. Their goal? Squash the rampant short-selling tearing through the market. Forget "democracy" or "freedom"—when the nation's economic lifeline was at stake, politics always crept in. The '92 pound crisis, the '97 Asian meltdown—all billed as "free markets," but government muscle was all over them. Otherwise, the pound and Hong Kong dollar would've been toast against billions in global hot money. The U.S. was no exception now.
"Dunn, you… you…" Ella's face was ghost-white, totally buying the FBI's line that Dunn was guilty.
How else could you explain his cash? Dropping $100 million into Dunn Films out of nowhere? That wasn't a filmmaker's move. Even DreamWorks, with its three bigwigs, had to beg Microsoft's Paul Allen for cash.
Dunn grabbed Ella's hand—ice-cold—and reassured her. "Don't worry, I haven't done anything wrong."
"But… where'd all that money come from?" she pressed.
He laughed and tapped her forehead. "All legit, I swear! Look, I gotta call in some help, so I'll catch you later."
Seeing Dunn still cracking a smile calmed Ella down a bit. He dialed Brian Lord, his agent and crisis PR guru. "Brian, quick rundown—you need to handle this fast…"
Brian cut in. "Dunn, Bill already filled me in. When you see the FBI, say nothing 'til the lawyer gets there. I'm reaching out to the White House for answers."
"The White House?!" Dunn was floored but grinned at AA's clout. "Brian, no need to blow this up. My money's clean—no crimes here."
"I know," Brian said, "but this is a PR mess. We gotta kill the Justice Department's probe fast, or your public image is toast."
Dunn paused, then nodded. "Fair. You're on it then. If we need political cash, just say the word."
"You little punk!" Brian roared with laughter. "Chill, it's not that dire yet. You made some stock market cash—so what? We'll handle this legit and aboveboard."
Dunn smirked, then froze. "Wait… Brian, I never said my money came from stocks, did I?"
Brian snorted. "The FBI's calling it an economic probe—think Bill and I are idiots? Focus on facing those investigators, Mr. Stock Market Genius!"
"Stock god, huh?" Dunn chuckled. "I like the sound of that!"
---
Back at Dunn Films, the vibe was grim. Employees looked at him with worry, fear, tension—and hope. Most were grassroots folks he'd lifted up, tied to him by more than just business. No one wanted their hotshot boss to crash and burn when the company was soaring.
Dunn flashed his usual sunny confidence, unfazed by the investigation, waving at everyone. "What's with the standing around? No work to do?"
"Boss!"
"Dunn…"
Their eyes softened with emotion. He waved them off casually. "Back to it, folks—I'm fine!"
Bill Mechanic hurried over, and Dunn's mood soured. He lowered his voice, sharp. "Bill, what's this? I'm not even in trouble yet, and the company's already a mess!"
Bill winced. "I'm on it, but… everyone's just worried about you."
"Fix it now!" Dunn's tone was iron. "If this drags out, the media'll pounce. Dunn Films can't take that heat—keep things steady here."
Bill's face tightened. "I'm worried Disney and Fox might kick us while we're down."
Dunn's expression darkened too. He didn't mind the FBI grilling him, but this pile-up of problems—and his image tied to box office stakes—was a headache. "How's the Tarz buyout going?"
"Huh?" Bill blinked, thrown that Dunn was still thinking about TV deals now.
Dunn frowned. "Cut the price a bit. Close the deal this week. Then… hand our cable ops to Comcast."
Bill got it instantly. Smart kid! This was alliance-building. Dunn Films had ticked off giants like Fox and Disney. Sure, Universal and DreamWorks had their back, but they were still outgunned. Comcast—the biggest U.S. cable operator—could tip the scales. They competed with Disney's TV arm and Fox's network. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
In a crunch like this, trading some profit for survival was worth it. If this blew over quick, great. If not, a PR war was coming—and Dunn wasn't sure he could outmuscle Disney and Fox, but he'd fight tooth and nail!
"Let's go meet these FBI hotshots and see what they've got!" Dunn strode toward his office, head high. Bill watched this bold, sunny kid and saw a glimmer of hope breaking through the storm.