America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 410 The Hero is Corrupted by the Demon

As with previous films, the new project was again produced at Warner Bros. Studios, with Louise Bros. serving as producer and overseeing all aspects of the production, especially negotiating with Warner Bros. regarding publicity and distribution.

In addition to their primary roles, Martin and Chad both served as production managers.

Chen Hu and Marcus served as action directors for close combat and gunfights, respectively.

Buck and Lewis, who had served as Martin's stunt doubles several times, also joined the action stunt team.

During filming and production, computer-generated special effects shots were extremely limited, and almost all action shots were completed through live-action filming.

Emily will be bringing a team from Davis Studios to the production, specifically to generate online buzz, especially topics that can actually generate buzz—like "I'll kill you, you'll kill me."

As for the main actors, two have been confirmed: Martin and Menez.

Martin, needless to say, is naturally the male lead.

The salary is divided into three parts: a base salary of $500 million, a tiered box office revenue sharing that is currently under negotiation, and DVD revenue sharing.

Over thirty years old, with a fuller figure and a slightly weathered look, Manne, a heartthrob for middle-aged women, plays the owner of the Continental Hotel in New York.

There has to be a positive main character who is Black; that's politically correct.

Other major roles were selected through auditions, with priority given to actors and clients under WMA.

As for the crew behind the scenes, many of the key personnel came from the "Wanted" crew. Martin's studio and Chad have been in contact with them, and those with suitable schedules joined the crew as soon as possible.

The location scouting team will soon be heading to New York to select suitable street scenes for filming.

After the project approval meeting, Louise and her assistant flew to New York to discuss a series of matters related to filming.

For example, filming car chases, street fights, and gunfights.

Aside from occasionally participating in media events and assisting the public relations team, Martin devoted all his energy to training.

Including physical fitness, combat skills, firearms, and driving, we strive to be the best in everything.

He even practiced how to poke people with a pencil and how to make a simple bow and arrow using a hardware store.

"Theoretically speaking, it is entirely feasible to attack with a sharpened pencil."

In the training area of ​​the film studio, Chen Hu gestured to Martin and said, "But it's not easy to do this, especially when an assassin is killing another assassin."

Martin gripped a soft resin prop pencil in his other hand and pointed to several vital spots: "My neck and eyes are the best choices?"

Chen Hu said, "We can try and see which one is easier to succeed with."

"Watch out, I'm coming!" Martin suddenly took a step forward, his prop pencil aimed straight at Chen Hu's eyes.

He understood Chen Hu's abilities, so he didn't need to hold back.

Chen Hu tilted his head slightly, and the pencil traced across his forehead.

He only dodged and did not retaliate.

Martin pressed his hand down, using his height to suppress Chen Hu, and then stabbed Chen Hu with the pencil. Chen Hu tried to dodge, but the target on his neck was much larger than his eyes, and the pencil pierced the area below his ear.

Chen Hu stepped back, shaking off Martin, and said, "Even if you're caught off guard, it's still difficult to stab someone in the eye."

Martin nodded: "Neck, throat, or near the carotid artery."

Chen Hu added, "The style we finally decided on was to make the movements look good while also ensuring a certain level of realism. In close combat, even if you are exceptionally skilled, it is not easy to take down a trained adult male with your bare hands. Therefore, all close combat is not about killing the opponent directly, but about controlling them and making them unable to make a move for a short period of time."

He made gestures such as kicking the groin, choking, ripping out the heart, and gouging out the eyes: "This can buy you even a second, so you can pull out a weapon and kill him, with a gun or any other weapon you can find."

Martin grasped the key point of his statement: "Use weapons if you can."

Marcus, who was standing nearby, spoke up: "The first choice is always a gun."

Later, Martin practiced action routines with Chen Hu and followed Marcus to improve his shooting skills, especially shooting when encountering enemies around corners.

Marcus, a former SEAL who has also participated in real urban warfare, has extensive experience in this area, far exceeding that of ordinary gunfight designers in Hollywood.

After practicing for a while, the three of them simply left the film set and drove to the Angel Shooting Club to train with real firearms.

Martin became increasingly obsessed with killing practice, making fewer and fewer public appearances. The only photos of him appearing in the media were candid shots of him entering and leaving a psychiatric clinic.

More and more entertainment media outlets are speculating that Martin's mental health issues are worsening.

Meanwhile, the Dark Knight production team began to ramp up its promotional efforts.

In mid-January, a video of Bale's interview circulated in the UK.

After several months, the British actor finally made a public appearance at the British Academy Film Awards. During the event, he talked about the Dark Knight crew and Batman, saying that the extremely difficult role he played caused him psychological problems. He had been trapped in darkness for the past few months but has finally broken free.

A reporter also asked Martin.

Bale accepted the production team's plan: "His problems are probably more serious than mine, because on set he's more evil than the Joker in the comics!"

No matter how much the media pressed him for answers, Bale remained silent.

This was a carefully planned promotional campaign by the Dark Knight production team, specifically chosen for the BAFTA Awards, a media-heavy event.

The Dark Knight was released during the summer of 2008, and the promotional campaign began six months in advance.

Nolan personally called Martin: "Are you ready on your end? Do you need me to send a professional photographer?"

"No need," Martin politely declined. "I have some here."

He hung up the phone and said to Bruce, "Get Ivan out there."

Bruce asked, "Where?"

Martin said, "Right here in the community park square."

Bruce called Ivan.

This time, they still needed to take candid photos; the crew's photographers were actually less professional than Ivan.

Martin went out alone, walked along the community road, came to the park square, sat on a bench, and watched the sunset in the west, motionless like a statue.

Not long after, his phone vibrated a few times in his pocket.

Martin knew that Ivan had come.

He slowly turned his head, and a strange smile appeared on his face, which had previously only been slightly gloomy.

Ivan secretly photographed Martin multiple times, pressing the shutter at just the right moment to take several photos in succession.

That same evening, the photo appeared on TMZ's homepage.

Jody is very professional, using real photos as a basis and adding slightly exaggerated headlines.

"Our city's heroes are having their souls corrupted by demons!"

Martin sat alone, his handsome face gloomy, his expression gloomy, and his smile eerie.

Jody specifically dragged the video of Bell's interview below Martin's picture.

That evening, the number of news comments had already exceeded ten thousand.

Why do I find it even scarier than Jack Nicholson's laugh in The Shining?

"Because you know that 'The Shining' was just acting, but this actually happened to Martin!"

"I'm very curious about what kind of Batman movie could have driven the two lead actors to the point of having complete psychological problems."

"Bell will be out of the public eye after several months of treatment, and Martin needs to see a psychiatrist every week. What kind of role and what kind of storyline?"

The number of people paying attention to and discussing The Dark Knight has increased rapidly.

After the news had been circulating for a few days and more media outlets had reprinted it, Thomas, on behalf of Martin, issued a public statement apologizing to the Golden Globe Awards committee, stating that he was unable to accept the invitation to this year's Golden Globe Awards ceremony due to health reasons.

This also makes the previous news more marketable.

Thomas later gave another interview, saying that Martin was aware of the problem, was working hard to get out of it, and would soon be back to normal work.

The Dark Knight production team has officially released the film's main promotional poster.

It's not just one Batman, but two main characters!

Batman stands in the middle of Gotham City, his head completely shrouded in dark clouds.

The clown stood in the sunlight. Although the white paint covered his true face, a faint smile hung on his blood-red lips. He simply stood there, yet he exuded a wanton and blatant evil that sent chills down one's spine.

Even without a video, seasoned film buffs can discern the film's style from the poster alone: ​​dark, suffocating, and insane!

After the initial publicity generated buzz, the production team simply guided online public opinion and temporarily went into hiding.

Nolan is a master of film production and marketing. He then visited Martin under the guise of a visit and had a long discussion with Martin about the current situation and the next steps.

Two people who are both skilled at creating hype had a passionate clash.

After Martin saw Nolan off, Elizabeth, who had just returned from filming Gossip Girl in another city, came to see him immediately.

"Are you really alright?" Elizabeth hugged Martin tightly, pressing his head into her embrace so that Martin could feel her warmth.

Martin gave a vague answer: "There aren't any major problems for now."

Elizabeth rubbed Martin's cheek: "You're not even going to the Golden Globes, and you say there's no problem!"

Martin wasn't made of stone; he could sense Elizabeth's worry and also perceive her genuine concern.

"I don't want to participate in the Golden Globes, mainly because I have an idea." He still had some conscience; knowing Elizabeth wanted to pursue a star career, he simply gave her a push: "I'm waiting for you to come back. I want to take you to the Oscars red carpet and let everyone know you!"

Elizabeth's thoughts were completely different from Martin's, and she hugged him even tighter: "Let everyone know I'm your girlfriend?"

Martin struggled to speak.

Elizabeth added, "Martin, I understand your feelings. I promise you, I'll agree to anything!"

Martin struggled out of her embrace, saw her tear-streaked face, and thought to himself, "It's just taking you to the Oscars red carpet..."

He wiped away the tears that rolled down Elizabeth's cheeks and said, "Your makeup is ruined; you look like a witch."

Elizabeth wiped away her tears and suddenly said, "Old boy, didn't you like me being a witch?"

(End of this chapter)