Matt and his loyal, anxious assistant drive up to a gothic, gargoyle-adorned mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The gate opens with a creak. Inside, Barry F. Liszt (played by Anthony Hopkins , droll and terrifying) is sitting in a home theater that’s also a taxidermy museum. A stuffed bear wears an Oscar statuette as a necklace.
Barry picks up a phone. "Quentin? The deal is off. The mule western goes to Paramount. And Matt? The H255 you're holding? That’s not the negative. That’s my personal copy of Gigli ."
Barry: "Anything? I don't want money, Matthew. Money is for the poor. I want concessions ."
Matt steps to the mic. He tries to do it. "Helen… you’re a visionary. But the studio… is pivoting… to analog…"
Matt cracks. He can’t do it. Instead, he tells the whole room about Barry’s blackmail. The crowd gasps. Then, Helen laughs.
Quentin storms out. Matt’s phone buzzes. It’s , the studio’s cunning head of physical production.
Technician: "It’s gone."