America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 427 Turning Martin into the Next Pete

Both sides were interested in cooperating, and Martin and Chuck Hogan quickly reached an agreement. After his agent and lawyer arrived and discussed the matter in detail with Thomas, they signed a preliminary agreement.

This can be considered the fastest progress.

Chuck Hogan wasn't particularly concerned about the amount of the royalties; he only mentioned one condition.

Martin must play the male lead!

This is certainly not a problem.

Both sides agreed that tomorrow, under the supervision of representatives from the Writers' Association, Thomas and Chuck Hogan would discuss the specific terms in detail. After that, Martin and his two companions took their leave and went downstairs.

Bruce walked quickly out of the main entrance of the office building and came up in front of Martin.

Right on the side of the road, next to where they had parked their Escalade, the door of a Volvo SUV opened, and Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck got out.

Big Ben said, "Don't you guys have any rules? There's always a first-come, first-served order, isn't there?"

Cassie wasn't so polite: "If you're taking from us, don't blame us for taking from you."

Martin initially didn't want to talk to the brothers, but after a moment's thought, he said, "A few days ago, Chuck, through Graham's introduction, sent me 'Prince of Thieves'."

Ben spread his hands and laughed: "If that's the case, Chuck Hogan submitted the novel to Weinstein Company a few years ago."

This is a complicated matter, Martin said, "The choice is in Chuck Hogan's hands."

Cassie stepped forward and said sternly, "You lack basic respect for us. This isn't going to end here."

Ben put his hand on Cassie's shoulder and said to Martin, "Dude, you're deliberately stirring up trouble."

"Interpret it however you like." There was already a conflict between the Foot Gang and the Face Gang, and Martin had already explained it, but the other party was selectively deaf, so there was nothing he could do.

Ben nodded to Martin and got into the passenger seat of the Volvo.

Cassie pointed to Martin and the other two, then got into the driver's seat.

The Volvo suddenly roared to life with its engine.

Cassie, in the driver's seat, grinned and smirked at Martin, seemingly wanting to ram him.

Martin reached inside his coat; HK had arranged for him and Bruce to obtain legal gun licenses in New York.

Bruce was quicker, pulling out a pistol. Although the muzzle was drooping, it could be raised to fire at the Volvo's windshield.

Cassie's sinister smile froze on his face. Those two bastards opposite him had no sense of martial ethics!

He just wanted to scare them, why would they pull out a gun?

Bruce gently tilted the muzzle of his gun towards the middle of the road.

Cassie's mind went blank. He subconsciously turned the car around, drove onto the road, stepped on the gas, and sped away like a rabbit caught by a hunter.

Only after turning a corner did he calm down a bit and ask, "Ben, we called the police. They're armed in New York!"

New York has very strict gun control, but Ben Affleck remained relatively clear-headed: "They dared to pull out a gun right in front of us, do you think they didn't have a gun license?"

"Wait a minute before you speak." Da Ben took out his phone and dialed a number he had specifically written down beforehand.

Chuck Hogan, on the other hand, rejected the copyright adaptation without hesitation and didn't even bother to negotiate with them.

Ben put away the phone, very unhappy.

Cassie said, "He stole the copyright that should have been ours."

Ben Affleck puffed out his cheeks: "Martin is more famous than me now, and more influential in the industry. This industry is all about praising the powerful and stepping on the weak."

Cassie tilted her head and glanced at Ben Affleck: "You're just going to put up with this?"

"I fucking refuse to take this anymore!" Ben Affleck exploded slightly, then sighed, "Even Harvey can't do anything about him, what can we do?"

Cassie said, "Let me think about it."

Ben reminded him, "Don't do anything reckless, and be careful. You know Pete's situation right now."

"Is it related to Martin Davis?" Casey asked.

"I don't know," Ben said thoughtfully. "But Martin Davis at least gave them a push. Without Martin mediating, how could Aniston and Jolie have reconciled? They were both targeting Pitt; did Martin push them hard from behind?"

The car fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, Cassie said, "Pete really had a tough time. To get cash, he sold off his assets and hired lawyers, almost ruining his reputation."

He suddenly thought of Martin after thinking of Pete: "I've got an idea. It would be best to get Matt to help us secretly make a move and turn Martin into the next Pete."

After thinking for a moment, Da Ben said, "Try it briefly, and if it doesn't work, come back immediately without attracting attention."

Cassie grinned, looking utterly dejected: "I'll think about it carefully and find a suitable method and approach. I won't act recklessly."

…………

Two days later, Thomas reached an agreement with Chuck Hogan's agent on the copyright matters related to "Prince of Thieves," and Jessica, representing Davis Film Studio, signed a licensing agreement with Chuck.

Chuck transferred all film and television rights to "Prince of Thieves" for $70, in addition to receiving a share of the revenue mandated by the Writers Guild of America.

This is a very ordinary Hollywood copyright agreement.

However, there was an additional clause: Martin had to play the male lead.

On the other hand, Chuck Hogan was involved in the script adaptation, but only in supporting roles.

Chuck has no experience in film and television adaptations, and he included this clause in order to develop his career as a Hollywood screenwriter.

During this period, Martin spoke by phone with Graham King, who said that Chuck Hogan had expressed his desire to become a film and television producer more than once.

He joined the future production team to gain experience and qualifications.

If the film adaptation is a huge success, Chuck, the original author and screenwriter, will instantly gain immense fame.

As for the specific adaptation timeline, the earliest it could be done is next year.

After taking a little time to deal with these matters, Martin's energy returned to filming.

Some disputes arose among the main creators of the production team.

Director Chad came up with a new idea, but screenwriter Brad refused to change the script, and the two disagreed on their work.

After learning about the situation, Martin called the creative team together to understand the details.

Brad drew a circle on the whiteboard in the conference room, pointed to the word inside the circle, and said, "This is what you wrote yourself, Breakthrough! Chad, take another look at your new idea, having the protagonist get captured by the main villain, but the villain doesn't kill the protagonist, just rambles on and on about a bunch of nonsense, waiting for the protagonist to turn the tables..."

Chad explained, "I just wanted to make the story more convoluted and the conflict more intense."

After carefully reviewing the scene concept written by Chad, Martin interjected, "The protagonist gets captured by the villain, but the villain never kills the protagonist immediately. Instead, he talks a lot of nonsense and is then killed by the protagonist. These are common problems in almost all traditional Hollywood action movies."

He looked at Chad: "The style of our film is clean and efficient. The protagonist won't be a moron who spares his enemy's life. And the villain? Continue to be a moron? Chad, put yourself in his shoes. If you were a mob boss, what would your first reaction be if you caught a super assassin like the protagonist after almost being killed by him?"

Before Chad could speak, Bradt said, "Even an idiot would know to eliminate the threat immediately. Even if you're going to say something or brag about something, at least cripple the protagonist's legs and arms, right?"

Chad was directing for the first time, and although he wanted to break away from the traditional Hollywood action film model, he was inevitably influenced by the environment in which he was learning and growing.

As filming progressed, my mind drifted to the traditional Hollywood plot structure.

"The villains will never kill the protagonist immediately once they capture him..." Chad muttered to himself for a while, finally freeing himself from the traditional plot pattern.

Once his thinking broke free from the established mold, he immediately realized something was wrong. How was this any different from the action movie tropes he so vehemently disliked?

Chad apologized to Bradt: "It was my fault. I accidentally jumped back into those muddy puddles."

It was just a simple work-related disagreement. Bradt waved his hand and said, "It's okay, have you forgotten? You pulled me out of the picture more than once during the scriptwriting process."

Chad smiled and said to Martin, "My past experiences have given me more than just abilities and experience; they've also given me constraints."

Martin said, "It's good that you've thought it through."

He wouldn't recklessly use his power to forcibly suppress a director unless absolutely necessary.

This is the worst option.

Chad washed his face and came back saying, "I'm all set. Let's continue filming."

The group returned to the set, and Martin put on a suit jacket and came in front of the camera.

Menez, who was acting opposite him, sat alone in a private box, sipping wine.

The owner of the Continental Hotel in New York has that kind of charisma.

Today's filming was a dialogue scene between the male lead and Winston. Martin and Menez exchanged a few words and went over their lines again.

As the script supervisor clapped the clapperboard, filming began.

Martin, dressed in a sharp black suit, walked through the crowd in the bar and came to the private room, where he sat down next to Menez.

"Jonathan." Menez's voice was deep and magnetic, a sure-fire box office draw for middle-aged and older women.

He poured Martin a glass of wine and said, "You look very tired and haggard."

Martin kept a straight face, showing no expression: "Because something happened, I had to come back."

This role doesn't require him to have much to offer in terms of acting.

Menez remained expressionless: "You know the rules of the Continental Hotel very well. Fighting is strictly prohibited at the high tables, otherwise your membership will be revoked."

Martin didn't touch his glass, but stood up and said, "I won't cause you any trouble."

He left the bar at the Continental Hotel alone.

Director Chad called "cut," announcing that the shot was good, and then moved to another location to continue filming the dialogue scenes between Jonathan and Winston.

Compared to the films *The Dark Knight* and *Benjamin Button*, this film had far fewer requirements for character development.

Both Martin and Menez were able to handle the situation relatively easily.

Even though Alexandra Daddario's acting skills are mediocre, her scenes are still quite outstanding. After all, once she starts moving, she easily attracts attention.

(End of this chapter)