America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 384 You're a Clown

After spending four days in the hospital, Martin was discharged and returned to the set to continue filming the final action scenes between Batman and the Joker.

The crew has been busy these past few days, and all the remaining scenes have already been filmed.

In the pitch-black studio, the Joker and Batman's figures intertwined, wrestling and fighting.

The Batman in this film is arguably the weakest in the series in terms of fighting ability.

Ultimately, the Joker was subdued by Batman. Batman did not kill the Joker but handed him over to the Gotham City Police Department so that the Joker could face legal judgment.

Although it's not explicitly stated in the movie, those familiar with Gotham know that the Joker will definitely enter the fertile ground of Arkham.

With director Nolan announcing that the take was approved, all scenes for The Dark Knight were now filmed.

There were no confetti or cheers. After months of intense work, plus all the mess Bale made, the crew had no heart to celebrate.

The atmosphere on set has been strained ever since the Batman attack on the Joker.

Privately, many cast and crew members complain about Bale.

"It's all Bell's fault!"

This was a consensus reached by almost everyone on the production team.

As for whether the hundreds of extras who came and went were stirring things up, only Robert knows.

Nolan stood up from behind the director's monitor and breathed a long sigh of relief. In his eyes, the atmosphere on set was much better without Bale.

On set, Martin took off his worn-out suit and threw it high up.

Before the suit even hit the ground, it was snatched away by several stunt performers.

Seeing the guys tear the cloth into shreds in no time, Martin shouted, "Stop fighting! I have a souvenir for you."

"Really?" The guy in the bat-like suit was the first to rush over.

The others followed.

Martin beckoned, and Bruce brought over a large box.

Other cast and crew members also came over to join in the fun.

Martin opened the box and said, "Nothing special, just a handmade Joker statue, a high-end handmade merchandise item from The Dark Knight. Everyone gets one. When you get back, tell the people around you about it."

Some people had witnessed Hibby hitting Bell on the head with the clown statue Martin gave him and were already quite interested.

Even Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal wanted this souvenir when they left the set.

Martin personally delivered the gift box to the cast and crew.

The crew members, who already had a good impression of him, all felt that Martin was a good person. Although his sinister and crazy aura while playing the Joker was a bit scary, he was kind and easy-going, and would respond with a smile to anyone who greeted him.

Martin took two gift boxes and went specifically to find Nolan and Emma Thomas.

Nolan said, "I don't want it."

Emma Thomas took the gift box from Martin, opened it, and suddenly realized why Sheby and Maggie both liked the clown statue so much.

"Thank you!" Emma accepted it without hesitation: "A very unique souvenir."

Martin stopped saying he hunted it himself because he had given away too many, and instead said, "It's made of pure natural cow horn and hand-carved."

Emma glanced at Nolan, thinking the statue would definitely be useful to her, and said, "I like it very much."

She called her assistant, took a photo album, and handed it to Martin: "The crew prepared this especially for you."

Martin took the photos and looked through them. They were all stills of him playing the Joker: laughing maniacally, frowning in deep thought, and carrying weapons, among others.

It is very memorable.

Martin was delighted: "Emma, ​​thank you."

Nolan shook his head and said to Martin, "Let's talk alone for a bit."

Martin followed him toward a deserted place.

As Nolan walked, he said, "All the producers and the publicity department have met to study our proposed publicity ideas, and they all agree that they are highly feasible. A professional team will develop a detailed plan, and once it is finalized, we will invite you to participate."

Of the $200 million in compensation, $100 million had already been transferred to Martin, so he replied, "I will fully cooperate."

"I have a very good feeling about this film." Nolan was quite confident, and knowing that Martin always manages to create eye-catching publicity, he specifically said, "Recently, I've had a feeling that this film is likely to be a box office hit, provided we do a good job with publicity and marketing."

Martin agrees: "Even the best films need to be known."

Nolan laughed: "We have a lot in common when it comes to movies."

Martin laughed too: "That's right."

Besides doing their jobs well, the two are also known as a publicity-driven actor and a publicity-driven director, respectively.

Times change, and as the media becomes more developed, hype is definitely not a bad thing.

With filming completed, post-production will move back to Los Angeles, where Warner Bros. Studios has a well-equipped post-production studio.

But Nolan still has a problem to deal with. A few days ago, while filming a car chase scene, he crashed an IMAX camera, and the amount of compensation the crew has to pay will definitely be included in the production cost.

Martin returned to the makeup trailer to remove her makeup.

Bruce had already packed up the two of their belongings left on set and came in carrying a bag.

Once only the two of them were left in the trailer, Martin asked, "When we go back to Los Angeles this time, you'll be accompanying Kim to film the video."

"I've already promised her that once the videotape is finished, she won't interfere with me and Kohler anymore." Bruce looked unusually serious, as if he were going to war. "These past few days I've been studying Paris Hilton's videotapes and watching a lot of films shot from Saint Oliver's first-person perspective. I will design the scenes myself and shoot the video myself with the DV camera."

Martin couldn't help but exclaim, "Old Brooks, it turns out you're not just the lead actor, but also the screenwriter, director, and cinematographer."

Bruce said with concern, "This is a bit tricky."

"How difficult could it be?" Martin, who never falters when it comes to being unscrupulous, said, "You managed to get through Sophia back then, this is nothing."

Bruce picked up his bag and left. That guy is no decent human being.

Martin picked up his bag and followed, saying, "Sophia is completely focused on Scott now, and only occasionally comes out to play. Even if you want another chance, you won't have one."

Bruce finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Put on the face paint!"

"What do you mean?" Martin asked deliberately.

Bruce gave him the middle finger: "You're a clown!"

The two drove their electric scooter to the parking lot and switched to a Cadillac Escalade.

Martin sent Old Brooks to the Northville neighborhood to have dinner with Elena that evening.

After dropping Martin off, Bruce went to the Beast House to drink with his old buddies.

Martin entered the Carter's villa and found that only Elena was there that day.

Dinner was ready, so it was placed on the table.

Elena was chopping vegetables when she saw Martin's smiling face. She picked up the knife and pointed it at him, saying, "Stop with that ugly smile. Don't play dumb with me."

Martin, unwilling to accept the iron fist of love, immediately put away his smile, washed his hands, and then helped serve dishes and mix drinks.

Ten minutes later, the two sat down at the dining table.

Dinner consisted entirely of Martin's favorite roast meats and fruits.

Elena, cutting her steak, asked, "When are you going back to Los Angeles?"

Martin said, "Tomorrow I'm signing a new endorsement contract with Coca-Cola, and I also have a media event this afternoon. If all goes well, I'll leave the day after tomorrow."

He added, "I also have an audition to attend in Los Angeles."

Elena nodded and added, "Lily came back a few days ago. Was the job you helped her find lucrative?"

"It was just an opportunity," Martin said casually. "The opportunity presented itself, and Lily had the ability to seize it."

He picked up the Joker sculpture from a shelf on the side of the restaurant and said, "This is the one. Lily has always used me as a model for her sculptures. In this Batman movie I'm starring in, the Joker is the core character, and the production team is willing to spend a lot of money on Joker-related merchandise. They just happened to have their eyes on Lily's sculpture."

Elena understood and said, "She's made a lot of money, so she's very confident in front of me and even dares to act like she's not afraid of being beaten and wants to turn the world upside down."

Martin paused for three seconds to mourn for Lily: "And then?"

Elena smiled and said, "She felt so much love from her sister that she only stayed one night before running back to Los Angeles."

Martin was surprised: "She left so soon? Even if you care about her, she can usually tolerate it."

"Because Hall went out to a game with the school baseball team," Elena explained simply. "She was very upset that she couldn't show Hall her care, so she left."

Martin nodded. This love couldn't be passed on, so there was no point in keeping it.

He forked a piece of grilled meat, took a big bite, and asked, "Is Hall a great baseball player?"

Elena nodded slightly: "It's alright, not worse than his digging holes. The school coach called me and said that Hall has been put on the shortlist of many college coaches and may be recruited into college in the future based on his baseball skills."

She frowned slightly: "In the end, I was the only one who hadn't gone to university."

"And me too," Martin comforted her. "I'm a terrible student too."

After dinner, they took a walk in the yard for a while. The two academic underachievers then went upstairs to study the profound subject of human life science.

The following morning, Bruce and Thomas picked up Martin and headed to Coca-Cola headquarters.

Although Coca-Cola didn't make a big fuss about renewing the contract this time, unlike when they first signed Martin, and there were fewer media reporters present, thousands of Coca-Cola cult members still showed up, turning the small square in front of Coca-Cola's headquarters red.

As Martin got out of the car, countless followers raised their Coke cans.

Bruce was prepared and immediately gave Martin a bottle.

Martin opened it and raised a glass with them.

Then, the cheers of the Cola Cult shook the entire neighborhood.

Martin once again donned a red robe, donned a red crown, and held a Coca-Cola scepter, appearing before hundreds of media reporters to sign a five-year endorsement contract with Coca-Cola.

The base amount of this contract is as high as $1000 million per year.

In addition, there are several additional terms and conditions.

Martin Scorsese's major films will receive a $1 million incentive bonus for each film that grosses over $100 million worldwide, and so on.

If Martin Scorsese finds a suitable film and role to compete for at the Oscars or the three major European film festivals, the Coca-Cola Group will fully support him.

If you win an Oscar for Best Actor or Best Actor at one of the three major film festivals, you will receive a prize of varying amounts.

(End of this chapter)