Joel Silver Plays Romeo

It seems every film Joel Silver produces turns to gold. Consider this: His films have earned a combined gross of more than $3.3 billion worldwide, averaging $100 million-plus per picture. What's the secret to his success? "It's just luck," he tells TV Guide Online. "I've had bombs. If I knew what I was doing, I would never have a bomb. I love to make the audience have a good time and take them on a roller-coaster ride."

Silver is being modest; the man knows his audience. "It's all about the quality of the picture. A movie like The Matrix went on to gross over $450 million worldwide. It's staggering that movie worked so well. You can do incredible marketing and promotion, but if the audience doesn't respond to it, then it will go away."

His latest producing effort is Romeo Must Die starring Jet Li, which blends action with the latest trend in movies: hip-hop. "I'm hoping this will be a big hit. Research showed us that Jet had tremendous urban appeal. They liked everything he did in Lethal Weapon [4] and there was a really strong center of acclaim for him. When we [tested] this movie, the numbers went through the roof. The audience loved it."

Silver and Li already have plans to work together again on a project called First King about ? get this! ? the first king of China. The Midas-touch producer also promises that Matrix fans can rest easy regarding sequels. "Were going to do two and three together," Silver says. "We're going to start shooting in about a year from now, and everybody's back!"