American fame and fortune

Chapter 869 Stallone’s daughter

 Beverly Hills, Century City.

Heath Ledger, dressed in formal attire, came out of the Fox Tower. After years of decadent life and long-term drug dependence, he looked extremely gloomy even when standing under the bright sunshine.

The pitch at Fox went nowhere, and Heath Ledger was rejected outright.

 Heath-Ledger went to various production companies of all sizes, but did not go to Pacific Pictures, Davis Studios and Disney Pictures.

Of these three companies, one was founded by Martin Davis, one belongs to Martin Davis’s mistress, and the other is in the honeymoon period of cooperation with Martin Davis.

As for his bad affair with Martin Davis, everyone in Hollywood knows about it.

 Heath Ledger looked at the nearby Death Star building and went directly to CAA.

CAA used to be Heath Ledger’s agency. He was familiar with many agents in the company. CAA also likes to package film projects. If CAA can be persuaded...

 Things went against expectations, and not long after, Heath Ledger came out of the CAA office floor dejectedly.

CAA did not have a good relationship with Martin Davis, but after reading the script he brought, he rejected it outright.

 Heath Ledger still wanted to be a director, so he didn't say anything.

 The person over there said: "Mr. Ledger, can we talk about this project?"

Luke shrugged: "Head, from now on, I will be mute, that's okay, right?"

After taking a few steps forward, Ivan paused and said, "You better not say anything."

When Heath Ledger saw this gesture, he quickly said: "I'm just a suggestion."

 A commercial car was parked in the parking lot in front of the Death Star building.

He was worried that the other party would regret it, so he emphasized: “I request that the transfer agreement be signed as soon as possible and that you pay the copyright transfer fee in one lump sum.”

He changed from passive to active: "Mr. Ledger, I had previously approached screenwriter Alan Scott and wanted to buy the film and television adaptation rights of "The Queen's Gambit". He told me that the rights had been resold to you."

Ivan was wearing a suit and leather shoes, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and walked towards the coffee shop with his briefcase in hand.

Ivan entered the coffee shop, made a phone call, and soon saw Heath Ledger. They greeted each other, sat on both sides of the booth, and talked about business.

Of course Ivan would not agree: "Iris is only interested in the film and television adaptation rights."

Heath Ledger couldn't wait any longer. He glanced at the cafe on the first floor of the building and said, "Come to the Death Star Building where CAA is located. I'll wait for you in the cafe on the first floor."

Luke responded, "Okay."

An idea came to his mind that this new company may lack experience. If he sells the copyright and adds additional conditions, can he become the director of the project?

 In this way, the Hollywood career that is almost dead may turn around.

Ivan is calm and calm: "Iris Pictures was only established in the first half of the year, but we are strong and have the support of international capital."

Ivan thought for a while and said, "Okay."

Ivan said: "The copyright transferred to you by Alan Scott is US$20,000, and Iris Pictures is willing to purchase it for US$25,000."

When Heath Ledger went downstairs, he felt very regretful. He should not have listened to the nonsense after getting high and bought the script for US$20,000.

 “40,000 U.S. dollars.” Ivan gave the final offer, opened his wallet, took out a 20-dollar bill, and put it on the table.

There is no other way. The stock at home is about to be exhausted. You can skip food, but you can't stop taking medicine.

 Heath Ledger got off the elevator and his cell phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number.

 “This is Heath Ledger.”

“Then there’s nothing to talk about.” Ivan said no more, picked up his briefcase and prepared to leave.

Heath Ledger said: "Yes, I do own the copyright."

 The other side responded.

The copyright of this novel and screenplay was indeed bought by Heath Ledger from Alan Scott. He said: "Yes, it is in my hands."

 Heath Ledger entered the coffee shop, chose a quiet booth, and waited patiently.

Waiting for the assistant Luke behind to catch up, he warned: "You are not professional in movies. After a while, try not to talk."

Heath Ledger was overjoyed and said, "Of course, when do you want to talk?"

 Twenty thousand dollars, wouldn’t it be nice to use it to buy laundry detergent?

Heath Ledger looked quite ugly, but he endured it. His lack of patience back then led to the current ending...

Ivan investigated the details of Heath Ledger and asked directly: "I wonder if Mr. Ledger is interested in reselling the copyright to Iris Pictures?"

 “It depends on your time.” The person over there said: “I can come here at any time.”

With his current situation, if he succeeds in directing a film, he can turn around. Even if he fails, the producer will lose money. He will not be worse off than he is now, and he can still get an extra director's salary.

 Heath Ledger calculated how many bags of goods $40,000 could buy, and before the other party left, he responded: "Okay, just $40,000."

 Chess themes are really unpopular.

Heath Ledger had his own idea: "How about we reach a deal in another way? How about we cooperate? Over the years, I have been studying how to be a director, and I have learned a lot about it. I will transfer the copyright to you." Fang, you hire me as the director of the project so that we can achieve a win-win situation.”

Heath Ledger looked at Ivan's business card and couldn't help but be curious: "This is the first time I've heard of Iris Pictures, where Mr. Clyde works."

Ivan thought about the contents of the investigation these days and Bruce's instructions, and said again: "$30,000."

"Hello, Mr. Ledger, I am Clyde, the business president of Iris Pictures. I heard from screenwriter Alan Scott that you have the film and television adaptation rights of "The Queen's Gambit"?"

 Heath Ledger refused: "Unless I am the director."

 The copyright transfer agreement is very troublesome. It cannot be done by two people signing an agreement. Heath Ledger and Ivan both started calling people and strived to complete the agreement today.

In the afternoon, when the sun turned to the west, Heath Ledger received $40,000 in cash. He took out a quarter of it and immediately contacted the drug supplier to purchase a batch of good products.

 He then called Gemma Ward and asked her to go home early today so they could have fun together.

This transfer agreement naturally did not include restrictive clauses, but within a week, "The Queen's Game" was transferred to Dai Davis Studio.

 Martin immediately asked the studio to recruit suitable screenwriters to adapt the movie script into a TV series script of about eight episodes.

  The subject matter of this drama determines that it cannot take an ordinary path.

Martin requires that the screenwriters and directors recruited must be proficient in chess, and each chess game must be carefully designed by a chess master. It must be easy to understand. Even people who do not understand chess will not understand the chess game in the play. The game felt boring.

The subject matter of the project determines that it will not use too many special effects, nor will it invite big-name stars with high salaries to star. Moreover, hiring a chess master is not expensive, and the production budget of more than 20 million US dollars is sufficient.

 The most difficult thing is to recruit screenwriters and directors who are proficient in chess.

 Neither Martin nor Louise knew how to play chess. There were a few people in Davis Studio who knew how to play, but they were far from proficient.

 In Martin's office at Davis Studio. Thomas recommended a candidate: "I inquired at the company. There is a senior screenwriter in the company who is proficient in chess and has also participated in national amateur competitions. It is said that he has reached the quarterfinals."

Even the top eight at the amateur level are quite impressive. Martin asked: "What about the works he wrote?"

Thomas briefly introduced: "The screenwriter's name is Scott Frank. As a signed screenwriter, he has written the scripts of more than a dozen films, including "The Edge of Body Heat," "Minority Report" and "The Wolverine 2."

Martin has seen all three of these movies, and of course the last one goes without saying. "Minority Report" was directed by Spielberg and starred by Tom Cruise. The heroine of "The Edge" is Nicole Kidman. .

 Thomas added: "Scott-Frank also directed multiple episodes of Shameless in the first two seasons."

  Martin said: "Be able to write and direct, and have the experience of directing successful dramas."

Thomas responded: "Yes, 'Shameless' was a remake, but it was very successful."

Martin said directly: "Go and talk to him. If he is interested, I will ask him to come out and talk."

 Thomas leaves now: “I’m going to find Scott Frank’s agent.”

 Martin also left the studio.

Today there are the third auditions for several major female characters in "Split", and he is going to attend.

 Arriving at the Disney Studio, Martin met Louise and entered the audition room together.

 The casting director on David Fincher's team had already set up the camera.

 In the first two rounds of auditions, most of the actors were eliminated, leaving only six actors.

One of them is an acquaintance of Martin, named Sophia Stallone.

 There is no doubt that Stallone is the boss among the three thousand gold.

 Martin looked at the actor's information and asked: "Sofia's acting skills are passable?"

"It can only be said that she is just okay." David Fincher said: "But she has a great figure. This time we auditioned not only the heroine, but also two other female characters."

There are four main female characters in the script, and only six actors entered the third round of auditions. The pass rate is still relatively high.

 Martin trusts David Finch's judgment.

  The latter added: "Stallone's daughter can also become a gimmick for the film's promotion."

David Fincher, who won the Oscar for Best Director, has completely completed his evolution, and the commercial attributes in his head have gradually gained the upper hand.

 The casting director came over and asked, "Do you want to start now?"

David Fincher glanced at the last row. Representatives from the Screen Actors Guild and Insurance Companies were concentrating on playing with tablets.

 He said: "Let's get started."

 An assistant brought the actors in, and the first one who came in was Sophia Stallone.

 She greeted Louise and David Finch politely, and then said to Martin with a smile: "Long time no see."

 Martin nodded: “Get busy with work first.”

Sophia quickly got into the mood and responded to two scenes as requested by the casting director.

 One scene is from a scene of panic, and the other scene is from a time when the character has an emotional breakdown.

　Normal performance, normal ending. Neither Martin nor David Fincher expressed their opinions, just asking Sophia to go back and wait for news.

 Sophia’s performance in the two audition scenes was okay, better than Martin expected, but her performance was still mediocre.

However, among the female characters, the one who really needs explosive performance is the heroine, while the other characters are more like vases.

 Beautiful female vases are an indispensable embellishment in Hollywood horror and thriller movies.

 The second actress who auditioned had a particularly recognizable appearance, especially her big bulging eyes, which always gave people an innocent feeling.

This brown-haired actress is very thoughtful, wearing slightly tight clothes, and walking a little slowly when entering the audition.

I don’t know if it’s a personal walking habit or something intentional, but her body sways a lot when she walks, causing the bulging parts of her chest and back to always tremble up and down.

Anya Taylor-Joy has just turned eighteen this year. Before auditioning, she carefully studied the role and the characteristics of the person who can really determine the role.

According to the agent's analysis, this film requires not only acting skills, but also good looks and a good figure.

 Hence, Anya tried her best to highlight her own advantages before the audition even started.

Martin took a brief look at Anya, her appearance was particularly recognizable, and she looked like a goldfish at first glance.

But there are some differences from the goldfish girl in his impression. She probably hasn't had plastic surgery and liposuction yet, and she hasn't turned into a weird look with ribs and sunken cheeks.

 The casting director said, “Let’s do it.”

 An assistant was responsible for playing opposite Anya, and the audition scenes were exactly the same as those of Sophia Stallone.

Anya’s explosive performance and detailed characterization of the character are more than one level better than Sophia’s.

 Martin could vaguely see the shadow of Saoirse Ronan when she first came of age.

David Fincher was very satisfied with her. When Anya left the audition room, he immediately said to Martin: "This girl is the heroine we are looking for. Her appearance, eyes and expression give people a particularly complex feeling. "

Martin also has some experience in acting, saying: "It is rare to have such acting skills at the age of 18."

Louise reminded: "There are still a few audition actors later. It won't be too late to make a decision after you watch all the auditions."

 Martin nodded: "Go on."

 David Fincher waved his hand to the assistant director, and the audition continued.

 In the subsequent audition, Martin also saw an impressive actress named Ana de Armas, from Cuba.

After all the auditions were over, David Fincher, Louise and Martin watched the audition tapes one more time.

 The three of them quickly reached an agreement on the heroine.

David Fincher first said: "Anya Taylor-Joy, this is the heroine I want."

  Martin said: “Among the actors who auditioned, her appearance and acting skills were the most suitable.”

“Then finalize her.” Louise said to her deputy: “Contact her agent and negotiate a contract.”

As for the other actors, Martin didn't care much and didn't comment.

The list of actors finalized by David Fincher is also expected, such as Sofia Stallone and Ana de Armas.

 (End of this chapter)