America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 262 Framed

As darkness fell, a bonfire was lit on the beach. Martin and the others, who had been fooling around all afternoon, let the models go off on their own, while they pulled Danny Boyle, who had joined them after dinner, along for drinks and conversation.

Leonardo gave a special introduction to Martin and Boyle.

Everyone else knew the two had something to talk about, so they deliberately kept a little distance.

"I first heard of you because of The Hills Have Eyes," Boyle said, picking up his beer bottle and clinking it against Martin's. "Back then, I felt incredibly satisfied watching you beat up that highway killer who had ravaged America with just a baseball bat and a dog."

He took a sip of beer: "He's even more handsome than McGregor from Trainspotting."

Martin laughed. "I'm not interested in that stuff."

Boyle retorted, "The next movie, you're saying it's endless, the protagonist becomes stronger because he took a smart drug."

Martin spoke frankly: "So, I need a suitable director who can show the process of the male protagonist transforming from a fool into a smart and powerful person, that is, what kind of exhilarating feeling it can bring to the audience."

Boyle is not a traditional British director; on the contrary, he has a lot of ideas: "Actually, the best way is to let the audience put themselves in the protagonist's first-person perspective. The protagonist becomes stronger by cheating, and everything he enjoys and obtains is roughly equivalent to everything they obtain. Everyone wants to get something for nothing and climb to the top of society without effort. This novel's protagonist fits that description perfectly."

These words coincided with Martin and Bradett's ideas, and Martin initially felt that Boyle might be suitable.

If our philosophies clash, there's no point in discussing anything else.

For example, if Martin wants to make a commercial film, but the director wants to make an art film with depth and philosophical thought, it will only hurt each other, and there is no need to cooperate at all.

Martin asked directly, "Danny, you've contacted my agent Thomas, so you must have some thoughts and insights about the adaptation?"

Boyle also understood the importance of shared vision, stating, "This is a commercial adaptation. Since it's a commercial film, the first thing to do is determine who the main audience is. What do these people want to see this film, or what do they expect from watching it?"

Martin nodded slightly; this was a pragmatic director.

Boyle added, "Smart drugs are not the goal, but a means to become stronger. Personally, I think what ordinary viewers want to see most is the protagonist's amazing performance after becoming stronger, the complex chain reactions that result, what he gained through the smart drugs, what he encountered, and how he solved them, etc. These are the key points."

Martin raised his beer bottle: "Our ideas are very similar."

Boyle laughed: "Looks like I passed the interview?"

Martin nodded: "When you have time, go to Davis Studios at Warner Bros. Studios. You, me, producer Louise Mayer, screenwriter Bradt, and action director Chad, we need to have a talk."

This is an essential procedure. There are more than just the director and the male lead in a film crew, and Boyle also needs to gain more recognition.

Boyle thought for a moment and said, "Three days from now. I need to go back and read the novel again, and also organize my thoughts systematically, before I go to your place."

Martin replied, "No problem, call me before you go."

Boyle drank with Martin: "I hope we can reach a cooperation agreement."

Martin took a sip of his beer: "I hope so."

In the last couple of days, Martin rewatched Trainspotting, The Beach, and 28 Days Later. Danny Boyle is undoubtedly a capable director, and his films tend to be more mainstream and commercial.

Leonardo approached and asked, "Are you finished talking?"

Martin shrugged: "That's it."

"Excellent!" Leonardo exclaimed. "Let the night's revelry begin!"

Martin scoffed, "Your surprise party was like that this afternoon? No surprises, just you and me competing to see who's faster, but plenty of shocks along the way."

Leonardo was excited: "Next up is my carefully prepared water gun competition."

Nicholson scoffed, "Besides water guns, what else can you do?"

"An extraordinary water gun competition!" Leonardo shouted towards the distance, "Ladies, are you ready? Come on over!"

A large group of beautiful women ran over laughing and joking. Among them, more than a dozen women had targets painted on their bodies, and the center of the targets was in a very special position.

Since he had announced a water gun party, Leonardo was certainly prepared. Although he was beaten up by Martin and a group of models in the afternoon, he managed to save face somewhat with a special water gun competition in the evening.

The partygoers were all having a great time and didn't calm down until late into the night.

This happened on the Malibu beachfront. If it were in Beverly Hills or Sherman Oaks, neighbors would have called the police long ago.

The following morning, the party company sent a car to pick up the models they had hired.

Seeing Martin sitting and drinking water, Leonardo quickly gave Nicholson a wink.

Nicholson walked over and said, "Let's go, let's go, let's go to the city for lunch."

Martin got up and followed the two out of the villa.

The beautiful women in front of them kept turning back to greet the three of them as they were about to leave.

Nicholson pointed outside the villa: "My car is over there. Get in and we'll go together."

Leonard seemed very concerned and specifically asked, "Danny Boyle left early this morning in Toby's car. Did you reach an agreement with him?"

Martin followed behind Nicholson, saying as they walked, "We've basically reached an agreement on some core concepts. As for the rest, like salary and benefits, someone from the production team will talk to him about it."

Leonardo DiCaprio said, "His salary isn't high."

Nicholson chimed in, "Danny Boyle isn't exactly a big director either."

The three of them talked as they walked through the villa's front hall and followed the group of pretty young women out the main entrance.

As soon as Martin stepped outside, he heard the sound of camera shutters clicking. A quick glance revealed at least three paparazzi taking pictures.

From their perspective, they could easily have included him, Leonardo, Nicholson, and that group of women in the shot.

Leonardo and Nicholson didn't take it seriously at all; the latter even gave the paparazzi the middle finger.

What followed was, of course, even more frantic filming.

Martin remained unfazed and got into Nicholson's extended Lincoln.

The driver only started the Lincoln after the models' vans had all left.

Leonardo and Nicholson acted as if nothing had happened, chatting idly on their own.

Martin pointed at the two bastards and concluded directly: "You called these paparazzi, didn't you?"

How could Leonardo possibly admit it? He shook his head repeatedly: "What a joke! Why would we call the paparazzi? To tell people we had a wild party last night?"

Nicholson quickly changed seats and sat down opposite Martin, then pointed at Martin and said, "You have a persecution complex. In your eyes, there are no good people. You always think the worst of me and Leo."

Martin couldn't help but sneer: "You guys are good people? Ha, then there must be no bad people in the world."

Leonardo shrugged and said, "Why would we do that? Get exposed along with you? Let the gossip fly? What good would that do for me and Jack?"

This makes perfect sense at first glance, after all, Leonardo and Nicholson were also photographed by paparazzi.

But Martin reacted incredibly quickly, his mind immediately clearing up the situation: "You two are both single, so what if you're photographed? It'll just add another story to your already long list of scandals!"

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh: "You really know how to make wild connections."

Nicholson, that old pervert, said, "Ignore him. Martin did too much work last night, and the lack of energy down there caused brain problems."

He deliberately asked Martin, "Do you need to go to the hospital? I have a private doctor here who can examine both the lower and upper parts of your head."

Martin raised both hands and extended two middle fingers: "You think I'm scared like this? What a joke, you know nothing about me."

Before the fan effect wears off, what does this little bit of gossip matter?

Moreover, he is capable of speaking the truth.

Leonardo and Nicholson exchanged a glance, wondering if it really wouldn't work. Martin, that bastard, had betrayed the trio; they just wanted to bring him back to the right path.

Forget about finding a steady girlfriend, having fun is the right path.

Martin stopped talking, his mind racing, determined to find an opportunity to teach those two bastards a lesson.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Leonardo and Nicholson went in first.

Martin made an excuse about needing to make a phone call, and when Bruce arrived, he asked, "Do you still have any Tiger Balm left?"

Bruce nodded: "There are still some at home."

"I'm going to eat," Martin said, pointing to the restaurant. "You're free to do as you please."

He planned to get some Tiger Balm and find a suitable opportunity to give it to Leonardo and Nicholson.

The two realized it didn't matter, and said they were just giving them the insect repellent.

If the two of them are careless and use what he said in certain areas, it will definitely be very interesting.

Martin believed that the only way to deal with these two perverts was to use perverted methods.

Shortly after lunch, on his way back to the Coty neighborhood, Martin unsurprisingly received a call from Blake in New York.

She asked, "I saw on the news online that you went to Leonardo DiCaprio's party last night?"

"Yeah, I went to Leo's party, a water gun party." Martin was telling the truth: "A big group of people split into two teams and attacked each other on the beach like playing paintball. My team won big and got Leonardo soaked to the bone."

He first stated some facts, then turned to work: "Mainly, I asked Leo to hire British director Danny Boyle. I had initial contact with him at a party about the new project. Our production concepts are not very different. As long as nothing unexpected happens, Danny Boyle will be the director of the new project."

After Blake responded, Martin asked her about her work, and the call ended smoothly.

Two days later, Danny Boyle met with Martin, and after meeting with several people, including Louise, at Davis Studios, he was officially confirmed as the director of the "Limitless" project.

(End of this chapter)