People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 322 Is there a suitable role for me? (Seeking monthly votes)

OK OK.

Li Wei was overjoyed.

This Hollywood trip was definitely the right decision; the system and the [Rigoletto Skull] really put him in a bug situation.

"Mr. Levi?" Jason Miller noticed that Levi's attention seemed to be drawn to something, and followed his gaze towards Booth 9. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Levi offered an excuse. "Is director Guillermo del Toro also filming here?"

"Oh, yes, is Mr. Levi also a fan of his?" Jason thought for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly, "If I remember correctly, he just signed with Netflix last year and should be filming a new fantasy movie now."

"Of course, I grew up watching his fantasy films," Levi smiled. "Pan's Labyrinth and Pacific Rim are both excellent movies, especially Pacific Rim, which I've watched many times."

"Yeah, it's a shame that nowadays there aren't many traditional film companies that can afford to spend such a large budget to hire him to make movies," Jason Miller shrugged. "Especially now that visual technology is so advanced, and he insists on using real props, real mechanical structures, and real makeup."

Li Wei nodded. The Jaeger cockpits in Pacific Rim were built to a 1:1 scale. With today's increasingly advanced special effects and rendering technologies, such a construction would inevitably take a long time and significant costs.

No wonder the system was bugged by him.

"I really like his movies," Levi suddenly asked, "Can we go in and take a look?"

Jason was stunned.

This wasn't on today's schedule, and it's a Netflix project, not Warner's own.

However, Jason Miller has been in this line of work for 10 years, and meeting the needs of his clients is something he does almost every week.

"I'll go ask," he said immediately. "I haven't dealt with his crew before, but I know someone in Warner's venue coordination team. Let me make a call first."

"Hmm, let's ask," Li Wei said. "Let's tell them in advance, since filming is a rather confidential matter."

Jason nodded, walked to the side, took out his phone, and dialed the number.

Jason returned in less than five minutes.

"It's all set," he said. "The Warner people helped me contact Netflix's on-site manager, who said I could visit, but I would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and the visit couldn't be too long."

"No problem, just the two of us will go. We'll just take a look and leave," Li Wei said to Anya. "You look so sleepy you can barely keep your eyes open. Why don't you two go and rest in the car first?"

Anya nodded somewhat dazedly. After spending the afternoon on set, the setting sun left her feeling listless, so she went straight back to the car with Dalia to rest.

Kim Ha-eun was also sent back to the car, and in the end only Levi and Jason went to Studio 9 for a visit.

Studio 9 is significantly larger and taller than Studio 16, with an interior ceiling height likely exceeding 20 meters.

Meter.

Netflix's on-site manager was stunned when he saw Levi standing next to Jason.

"Jason, you should have told me sooner," he punched Jason in the chest. "You should have told me your client was Levi earlier! You begged me for ages."

"Don't blame him," Li Wei said with a smile. "I'm a fan of director Guillermo del Toro. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to stop by."

"Then I can only say you're really lucky," the Netflix representative shook his head and personally opened the side door of the studio. "There's a real big shot inside."

The moment the door was pulled open, Li Wei's breathing quickened.

He saw a giant dragon lying across the center of the studio.

Its body extends almost from one end of the shed to the other, and its total length from tail to head is nearly 40 meters.

Its dragon head is raised high, about seven or eight meters above the ground, its mouth slightly open, revealing two rows of interlocking sharp teeth, each as long as a forearm.

The dragon's body is covered with dense scales, each one hand-carved and then individually painted with metallic paint. Under the sunlight shining from the ceiling, they refract a deep hue between gold and amber.

Its wings fold to the sides of its body, and if its wingspan were fully extended, Levi estimated it would be at least 60 meters.

What truly made Li Wei understand why only deep-pocketed new media companies like Netflix were willing to invest in Guillermo del Toro was that the dragon was not a static sculpture.

Inside the shed, two technicians stood on a ladder, constantly adjusting the mechanical structure of the dragon head. With a deep hydraulic hum, the dragon head turned about 30 degrees, and its eyes, inlaid with golden irises, swept across Li Wei's direction as if scanning prey.

The system even popped up a new task dialog box:

[You've seen the full picture of the golden creature for the first time]

You have gained a deeper understanding of the power of this world.

[Free attribute points +0.1]

"My God," Jason Miller exclaimed in disbelief, "how was this even made?"

"It's all handmade," Netflix's on-site manager said with a mix of pride and frustration. "Director Del Toro's team hired a team from Italy that specializes in opera stage structure machinery to design it. The design alone took three months, and the production took more than a year."

"The dragon's head and forelimbs can move at certain angles," he said, pointing to the dense network of pipes and control boxes beneath the dragon's body. "The tail and wings are supported by steel cables."

Li Wei walked to the front of the dragon and examined it carefully.

"Take your time watching," the resident manager instructed. "I'll go find director Del Toro."

Soon, he walked over with a short, stout middle-aged man. The man had a round face with black-rimmed glasses, wore a dark blue work jacket, and had messy hair. He looked very artistic, but not like a master director who had won an Oscar for Best Director.

"You're Li Wei?" He recognized Li Wei at a glance. "I've watched your matches; they were fantastic."

"Director Del Toro," Levi shook his hand, "I'm a fan of yours."

"Fan! I'm your fan!" Del Toro laughed.

Seeing that Li Wei was staring at the giant dragon, his eyes lit up, and he took the initiative to tell Li Wei about the dragon.

"Her name is Aurora," he said proudly, patting a scale on his dragon claw. "The movie is called 'The Last Dragon,' an exclusive project I signed with Netflix. Aurora is the last dragon in the world; her parents were killed by humans, and she decided to take revenge."

He pointed to the dense network of hydraulic lines and control modules beneath the dragon's body.

"It took the team at the Lis Scala Opera House in Italy a year to make," he said. "This dragon head alone has more than 200 individual joints, which can realize all facial expressions such as blinking, opening the mouth, turning the head, and exhaling through the nostrils."

"4217 scales, 327 bones," he added, "each one is numbered."

"Amazing," Li Wei exclaimed.

In this day and age, there are very few veterans who still insist on using the traditional hand-making method. Nowadays, most movies, although they claim to have increasingly higher costs, have not made much progress in visual effects. I don't know where the money goes.

Just then, the system popped up again.

[Hidden Quest: Dragonblood Knight Advancement]

After overcoming countless hardships and traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, you have finally found its trace.

You have witnessed the howls of vampire armies, the parades of the undead legions, and all sorts of cruel trials. Now you finally stand before it.

The dragon blood within you trembles—with fear and excitement. It yearns to devour true dragon blood and a dragon's heart, and further, to become a true golden creature—provided you are still alive.

[Mission Objective: Slay the dragon and obtain its heart]

[Quest Reward: Dragonblood Knight Advancement]

"They've come all this way, so grand, and they even crave to devour the dragon's heart," Li Wei thought to himself.

But here's the problem: Li Wei looked at the giant dragon before him.

How is he going to get its heart?

Buy it and then dismantle it?

"Director Del Toro," Levi asked, looking at the lifelike dragon before him, "what will happen to this dragon after filming?"

"What do you mean?" Del Toro tilted his head.

"What I mean is, after filming is over, will this model be dismantled or preserved?" Levi asked directly. "If there's a possibility of it being sold, I'd like to buy it."

Del Toro paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Do you know how many people have asked me this question?" He stroked the stubble on his chin. "But unfortunately, I don't plan to sell it before the movie is finished, and Universal Studios has already contacted me. I will most likely sell it to Universal Studios. I heard they will put it in the Harry Potter area."

Li Wei nodded, showing no particular reaction, and continued discussing the film's concept with Guillermo del Toro.

As they chatted, the two gradually found themselves getting along well, and Li Wei spoke up again.

"Is casting finished now?" he asked. "Are there any roles that would suit me?"

Del Toro's smile vanished as he looked Levi up and down.

He is 188cm tall, with perfect shoulder width and waistline proportions, and a handsome, rugged yet delicate face.

He was younger, more handsome, and stronger than Henry Cavill.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course," Li Wei nodded.

First, sneak in, then find an opportunity to dismantle it.

Del Toro hesitated for a moment.

"We've already cast all the other roles," he said. "The only role left is the dragon slayer, who needs to kill the dragon, and a young soldier."

"My casting director has looked at hundreds of people," he said, shrugging, "but to be honest, I haven't seen anyone I'm satisfied with yet."

He looked Li Wei up and down, then suddenly clicked his tongue in amazement: "Your appearance is quite good."

But then he shook his head: "I just don't know how his acting is."

He thought for a moment and finally said, "How about this, have your agent send me the information and go through the normal application process, but you will go directly to the final interview. How about that? I'm not an investor in this show, and I can't just hire you as the male lead because you're a Super Bowl champion. That's too risky."

"No problem," Levi nodded. "Thank you, Director Del Toro."

After chatting for a few more minutes and taking a photo together, Li Wei and his group left Studio 9.

He definitely had to complete the Dragonblood Knight advancement quest, as it was one of the best ways to significantly improve his attributes.

If it weren't for the strict security measures and surveillance here, he would have liked to find an opportunity to sneak in and steal something.

Unfortunately, looking at the dense array of surveillance and monitoring equipment in the studio, and considering that there was no grudge between them, if the old man destroyed these things, the entire film project would probably be ruined. In the end, he decided to temporarily abandon the idea.

Levi and Jason got into the car and arrived at the private residence of NBC senior producer Brian Glazer around 6 p.m.

The banquet was filled with toasts and laughter; everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and was very happy.

After the show, Li Wei and the others returned to the hotel to prepare for the next day's "The Tonight Show".