America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 293 Operation Red Wings

In the lobby of WMA in Century City, enthusiastic applause rang out. Aniston smiled and waved as she walked to her private office area.

Steve, who was with her, pointed to the luxurious office in front: "Jane, this way."

Aniston looked back towards the row of offices she had come from, where Martin was standing in the doorway of one of them.

She smiled at them, saw Martin nod in response, and went into Steve's office.

Martin pushed open the frosted glass door, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Thomas.

Thomas asked, "How's your rest lately?"

Martin said, "I came back and started preparing for the next awards season. I finally had some initial plans and was getting ready to go on vacation with Blake when you called me and said that the Coca-Cola GG filming was finalized."

Thomas laughed and said, "It's not too late to go after GG is finished filming." He then got to the point: "The GG production team has been finalized. Coca-Cola has invested a lot of resources in this GG project. They invited Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes to be the director."

The name sounded familiar. Martin thought for a moment and remembered—it was Kate's current husband.

As expected, big brands hire big-name directors to make GG.

Martin vaguely remembered that 10 years later, David Fincher seemed to have made a cyberpunk version of Coca-Cola GG.

I've completely forgotten the specifics.

If it weren't for David Fincher, I probably would have watched this movie and forgotten it.

Thomas handed Martin a fax: "GG filming is taking place in Park, Southern California. The crew has already planned the schedule. This is a list of the main crew members."

Martin quickly glanced through the list and, besides Sam Mendes, spotted a familiar name.

Elizabeth Olsen!

Is it a case of the same name, or is it the same girl he knows?

Martin took out his phone, found Elizabeth's number, and sent her a text message.

Elizabeth called directly: "Yes, it's me! I'm going to be in your boyfriend's movie."

Martin said, "Great, I look forward to working with you."

Elizabeth had to attend class and quickly hung up the phone.

"Are you studying Leonardo DiCaprio?" Thomas asked, unusually gossipy. "And who's Elizabeth?"

Martin casually remarked, "Don't get the wrong idea, she's just a girl I rescued at Burbank High School."

Thomas suddenly remembered: "The Olsen sisters' younger sister?" He exclaimed, "A hero rescuing a damsel in distress!"

Martin put down the faxed document: "You can discuss the specific schedule with the GG production team. I'm leaving now."

He went outside and arrived at the WMA lobby. After waiting for a short while, Aniston came downstairs.

The two chatted for a while, then, having things to do, they parted ways.

…………

At the Angels Shooting Club, Chad Stahlski returned to the club's entertainment area after emptying two magazines.

His friend Marcus, whom he met here, remained seated on the sofa without moving.

Chad brought over two cans of Coke and placed one in front of Marcus.

Marcus picked it up; the Coke can had Martin Davis's image printed on it. "The Coke Cult?" he said.

Chad asked, "You joined too?"

Marcus opened the bottle, took a sip, and said, "Many soldiers in Afghanistan have joined the Cola Cult as a way to relax and have fun during their work. It's a poor and boring place."

Chad couldn't help but laugh: "I'm also a member of the Cola Cult. When we were drinking together, Martin even said he wanted me to be a district bishop."

Marcus downed half a can in one gulp and said, "I've seen the Burbank High School video. He's an amazing star. Only those who have actually been on the battlefield know how much courage it takes to stay calm, think of a solution, and have the courage to face armed thugs in that situation."

Chad thought for a moment and said, "Martin is an optimistic, funny person who always finds a way. Although he likes to cause trouble, he is very loyal to his friends, so I have always worked with him."

Marcus asked, "Can I join your motion control team?"

"Okay," Chad said, but added a condition: "You must complete the psychotherapy course."

Upon hearing this, Marcus said, "Actually, I'm not traumatized, I'm filled with guilt."

Seeing that he seemed inclined to speak, Chad asked, "What happened? If it involves confidentiality, then forget it."

"It doesn't involve any secrets." Marcus shook his head first, then said somewhat vaguely, "My squad, while on a reconnaissance and infiltration mission, encountered three Afghan shepherds. In that situation, the shepherds might have revealed our whereabouts, but they were civilians..."

Chad nodded slightly.

Marcus ran his hands through his hair and continued, "The four of us disagreed. Someone suggested killing the shepherd, but another person and I disagreed because we didn't want to go to a military prison. In the end, the four of us voted and let the shepherd go."

He sighed deeply: "A few hours later, more than 100 armed men surrounded us. Except for me, the other three were all killed. I was also seriously wounded and fell behind a cliff. I was taken in by local villagers. When the armed men came looking for me, I thought the villagers would hand me over, but they protected me, bandaged my wounds, and fed me goat milk. I survived until I was rescued..."

Chad immediately recalled a news report he'd glimpsed last year: "Are you the seal that the terrorists publicly claimed to have captured?"

Marcus admitted, "Yes, it was me." He then corrected himself, "They never caught me."

"It's all over, buddy," Chad said, offering no words of comfort.

Marcus sighed again: "If I had made a different choice back then, the outcome might have been completely different."

Chad is a competent filmmaker. He suddenly felt that this story was very dramatic and seemed very suitable for film adaptation.

He himself did not have the ability, let alone the strength to promote the project, so he decided to go back and talk to Martin.

Based on their work together over the past two years, Chad felt that Martin's abilities were constantly improving, and most importantly, he was able to secure funding and turn plans that were only on paper into actual film projects.

Chad quickly weighed the options and said, "How about in the next few days? I'll see when it's convenient and find an opportunity to introduce you to Martin, since you've already met him once."

Marcus remembered that the last time he met Martin was at the Angels Shooting Club.

Club owner Kane then came over and said, "You guys are having a good chat."

Marcus laughed: "Chad always shares interesting stories about the film industry with me, it's really fun."

"Try to comfort Marcus," Kane said, having learned what had happened to the young man. "What's past is past. People have to move on and not live in the past."

Chad nodded and said, "I'll invite Martin over another day, and we can play another round then."

Kane replied, "No problem. I've been wanting to get my revenge on Martin for losing to me in last year's community shooting contest!"

He patted the back of Marcus's chair and asked, "Can you take your dog now?"

Marcus stood up and said, "I've found a new place. I just came here to pick up the dog."

Chad asked, "Where is Jia'an?"

Marcus said, "In the southern part of Santa Monica, on the outskirts of the neighborhood, I rented a detached house that was spacious enough for one person."

Chad remembered something: "I heard the south side isn't very safe, so be careful when you go out."

Marcus just laughed.

Chad slapped his forehead: "Look at me."

Afterwards, Kane took Marcus to pick up the two Labradors, who were very energetic and named Daisy and John respectively.

Marcus crouched down and hugged his two beloved dogs as if they were his children and family members.

After a while, he led the two dogs out of the club.

Once in the car, Marcus bumped heads with the dogs, waved to Chad, and drove away.

Kane said, "In Los Angeles, Daisy and John are like family to Marcus."

"I also have a dog, a German Shepherd." Chad pointed to the car area where he had taken in a stray puppy on the set of "Wanted": "I'm leaving now, let's talk another day."

Once in the car, Chad immediately called Martin: "Remember Marcus? He experienced a special battle in Afghanistan, which was reported in the media last year regarding the local armed groups' claim of kidnapping a seal. Marcus was that seal. I suggest you meet Marcus in person and see if there's any potential for adaptation."

Martin replied, "No problem, just schedule a suitable time."

Chad asked, "Are you free tomorrow morning? Okay, shall we meet at the Angels Club?"

Martin, who wasn't going to Park Town to film GG until next week, immediately said, "Okay."

…………

Burbank, a business club near the Holy Gluck.

Some female producers and directors in Hollywood occasionally gather here.

On the one hand, women help women, creating a mutually beneficial relationship; on the other hand, they incidentally enjoy various benefits associated with powerful female figures.

Menez followed Alan, Scorsese's go-to casting director, into the club's entertainment hall.

There were more than a dozen women and five or six men gathered here.

The youngest one seems to be at least forty years old.

Menez spotted his target, Emma Thomas, at a glance.

It's not that this female producer is particularly beautiful, but rather that she is relatively young among a group of women in their 40s, or even 50s and 60s.

Menne pleased Allen by licking him last night, and the latter let him do as he pleased.

After looking around for a bit, Menez seemed to finally spot Emma Thomas and went over to greet her: "Hi, Emma, ​​I thought it was you as soon as I walked in, and it really is you."

The two had chatted at Warner Bros.' annual party. Emma Thomas was impressed by Menez, nodding with a smile and asking in surprise, "What brings you here?"

Menne pointed at Allen: "Director Lewis brought me here."

Emma Thomas had heard Allen mention Menez last year, which was why she was curious. She beckoned to the waiter to bring two glasses of wine, handing one to Menez: "Want to have a drink with me and chat for a bit?"

Menez sat opposite Emma, ​​and they soon began chatting animatedly.

When the party ended, the two did not leave together, but they exchanged their personal contact information.

(End of this chapter)