"The Cannes Film Festival kicks off in ten days—can you even make it?" Natalie's crisp voice came through the phone, laced with a playful pout.
Dunn grinned. "Of course I can!"
"But you're still banned from leaving the country."
"Maybe tomorrow… latest the day after. The ban's definitely getting lifted. I told you, I'm bringing you—and The Professional—some artistic glory!"
Natalie giggled, then huffed. "You sound like you own the Cannes Film Festival! What, you snap your fingers and we win awards?"
Dunn chuckled. "Not 100% sure, but I'd say 90% odds! Besides, your performance in The Professional was killer—absolutely stunning!"
"I still think Nicole outshone me."
"You're both amazing!"
"Hmph!" Natalie's tone shifted, a little sour. "You two are still living together, huh?"
Dunn laughed it off. "Hey, Nat, remember our deal? Forbes Top 100, right?"
"That doesn't count—you cheated!" She huffed, flustered. "You set me up on purpose, didn't you? Admit it!"
Dunn cracked up, loving her reaction.
His net worth was cruising at $5-6 billion—easy. In 1999, you only needed $3 billion to crack Forbes' global Top 100. Now, with the 2000 financial crash slashing fortunes left and right (Bill Gates alone dropped $30 billion), Dunn's wealth could land him in the Top 50 when next month's rankings hit.
He smirked mischievously. "Deal's a deal! You said if I had the cash, you'd give me some 'private life' wiggle room—like the First Lady or a billionaire's wife."
"Dunn, you're a bully!" Natalie whined.
"A promise is a promise!" He rocked back, smug as ever. 😎
On May 5th, the Justice Department finally cleared Dunn. His stock and futures trades over the past three months? Totally legit. All income? Clean as a whistle. The asset freeze on Dunn Capital and Dunn Films lifted, and the travel ban vanished. After five days of chaos, the drama fizzled out quietly.
Disney and Fox weren't ready to let it go, though. Sure, Dunn didn't break any laws, but he'd raked in billions during the Nasdaq crash—fact! With the investment world in shambles and Wall Street suicides hitting the news daily, wasn't Dunn's fortune built on other people's misery? If the law couldn't nail him, they'd guilt-trip him instead: Dunn was the "indirect killer" of those desperate investors!
One storm calmed, another brewed. The public loved a good spectacle—scandals like this never ran out of steam.
Disney and Fox's barking didn't faze Dunn Films' operations. The day after the ban lifted, they dropped a bombshell: Dunn Films shelled out $2.6 billion—$1.7 billion in cash plus $90 million in assumed debt—to fully acquire Colorado-based Liberty Starz, including Tarz TV and Enrevieple TV.
Hollywood wasn't shocked by the target—dozens of U.S. specialty cable networks existed, and Tarz wasn't a standout. What floored them was Dunn Films storming into the TV game! After announcing a TV series collab with DreamWorks, everyone assumed Dunn was just dipping a toe into content. Nope—he was diving headfirst into the industry!
The media wasn't sold. Variety dissed the move: "Tarz TV's got 2.1 million subscribers and under $60 million in yearly revenue. It's been teetering on the edge of red ink since day one. Specialty cable thrives on public TV promo power, and Dunn Films is too thin to turn Tarz around."
Hollywood Reporter's Manu Clair piled on: "Buying Tarz is a misstep after all the flak Dunn's taken. He needs to cool off and rethink Dunn Films' strategy. It's a young movie company—it needs a solid foundation, not wild swings."
The New York Times waved DreamWorks' flop as a cautionary tale: "DreamWorks started with big dreams—movies, TV, games, web, animation, music. They burned through cash, and now most of those divisions are split, sold, or shuttered. Dunn Films better not repeat that crash."
Dunn Films stayed chill amid the doubters, holding a press conference to unveil a big Tarz revamp: they'd swapped their TV operator from Disney to Comcast!
Specialty cable's pricey—total U.S. subscribers hover around 30 million. Even at HB's peak, when premium cable was king, that number only hit 55 million. Take HB: $100 yearly for the channel, plus $25 in operator fees—not every household can swing it. Young folks fresh out of the nest lean toward cheaper basic cable like EPN or A, or free public TV.
Tarz's 2.1 million subs sound small, but that's 7% of the premium market—not bad when HB's at 7 million! Comcast happily gobbled up Dunn's gift. Even after trimming duplicate users, Tarz added 1.6 million subs to their roster! For context, Comcast spent $5.8 billion two months ago to buy Lenfet, a telecom-TV operator, for just 1.3 million premium users. The day Dunn Films announced the Comcast tie-up, Comcast's stock jumped $12!
Dunn's big handout came with perks. "Dunn, Disney and Fox's propaganda lately—it's out of line!" Comcast president Brian Roberts met Dunn personally to say thanks.
Dunn sighed. "What can I do? They own the media—I can't fight back."
Brian jumped in. "Disney's got AB, Fox has their network, but Comcast runs the biggest cable net in the U.S. We've got your back!"
Dunn shook his hand, all gratitude. "Thank you! With your help, I might finally get some peace."
Brian grinned. "No problem—we're already rivals with Disney."
Dunn's lips twitched upward, eyes twinkling. "Oh, by the way… I heard Viacom's kids' channel took a hit from Disney lately?"
"Huh?" Brian blinked, thrown off by the curveball.
Comcast and Viacom were partners—Viacom's cable channels ran through Comcast's system. Brian knew Dunn meant Nickelodeon and chuckled inwardly. Word was this kid held grudges—and here he was, proving it! Bold enough to take on Disney head-on!
Comcast didn't fear Disney, and Brian liked Dunn's guts. He called in his assistant, Kevin Hall, to dig into Viacom's cable biz. Catching Dunn's drift, Kevin nodded. "Yup, Nickelodeon's all about sitcoms, while Disney Channel's classic cartoons ruled. But lately, Disney's pushing live-action shows, stealing Nickelodeon's turf."
He shot Dunn a cautious glance. Brian waved it off with a smile. "It's fine—Dunn's a friend."
Dunn's 1.6 million Tarz users were a massive favor—practically a declaration of war on Disney. He was a Comcast ally now. Besides, what dirty secrets could a kids' channel hide?
Kevin lowered his voice. "I've been talking to Viacom lately. They're debating a Nickelodeon overhaul to counter Disney's push."
Dunn's mouth quirked up. Overhaul Nickelodeon? Slash fees to grab the kids' market from Disney? Sure, you'd gain users—but Disney's raking in the real cash!
Brian's brow furrowed, sensing trouble. "Disney Channel's stepping up?"
Kevin's face tightened. "Kids' TV is Disney's big focus for the next year or two. They might pull some major moves!"
Brian's expression shifted hard. Dunn, listening to their cryptic exchange, felt a jolt. He knew Disney Channel would dominate kids' TV eventually—future knowledge and all. But Comcast and Viacom sniffing it out early? That's the muscle of a mega-corp!
"Maybe… Dunn Films can lend a little hand," Dunn said, a wild idea sparking in his head.