America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 439 Bell and Martin Fight

In recent years, San Diego Comic-Con has become another major promotional platform for Hollywood movies besides the Super Bowl. Warner Bros. has booked an entire exhibition hall at Comic-Con to promote its films.

The most eye-catching items in the exhibition hall are "The Dark Knight" and "Terminator 4".

The Dark Knight exhibit area was packed with reporters and movie fans today.

The reporters in the front row had their cameras and microphones set up, waiting for the promotional event to begin.

Cole, a reporter from Empire magazine, was chatting with a few colleagues.

"Warner Bros. announced that Bale and Martin, the two main actors, will be appearing together today for promotional activities."

"Remember the news from last year? Because they were too immersed in their roles and influenced by the characters' emotions, Martin and Bale got into a fight on set."

"Yes, I know. Bell was hospitalized for mental health treatment because of this, and Martin still sees a psychiatrist every week. He even went to the Presbyterian Hospital's psychiatric ward while filming his new movie in New York!"

"Have you seen the latest trailer? The Joker is an extremely evil madman, it's normal that Batman couldn't stand it and beat him up."

"You're confusing filmmaking with reality."

"Isn't this what the best character portrayal and performance are all about?"

The surrounding sounds suddenly disappeared, and the entire media and audience area fell silent as the film's director, Christopher Nolan, walked onto the stage.

In the waiting area backstage, Martin, accompanied by Bruce, was preparing to make his appearance.

On the other side, Bell, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, slowly walked to the waiting area opposite.

Nolan's voice then rang out: "Please welcome Batman, Christian Bale!"

Bale stepped off the stage and went backstage, where he answered questions from reporters and fans in collaboration with Nolan.

Listening to the sounds ahead, Bruce said to Martin, "Bell seems to have calmed down a lot."

Martin said, "There wasn't any continuous stimulation for him."

Bruce cautioned, "Go easy on him, don't hurt him."

Martin said, "Today's theme is brawling, Batman and the Joker brawling, not one-sided beatings."

After a long period of build-up, it has become widely known that he and Bale developed psychological and mental health issues due to getting too immersed in their roles.

However, the media and the public are still unaware of just how severe these impacts will be.

Soon, Nolan's voice called from the front of the stage: "Now, please welcome Martin Davis!"

Martin straightened his suit slightly, strode onto the stage, and waved repeatedly to the media reporters and the large area of ​​people wearing red T-shirts.

The applause erupted, much more enthusiastic than when Bale entered the stage.

Martin lowered his hand, turned his gaze forward, and saw Bell wearing a bespoke suit.

Almost at the same time, Bell turned his face to look at Martin.

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to distort and ignite.

The media reporters in the audience, with their exceptionally keen sense of smell, seemed to detect a burnt odor.

"These two seem like natural enemies," Cole, a reporter for Empire magazine, muttered.

On stage, Bell's expression was serious, resolute, and fearless, like a born messenger of justice.

Martin suddenly burst into laughter, a bright laugh that was as radiant as the midday sun in Southern California.

When his laughter reached its peak, it became manic and evil, sending chills down one's spine.

Martin said to Nolan and Bell, "Why are you so serious?"

Nolan didn't say anything; he had already arranged the script.

Bell suddenly strode toward Martin, his pace quickening as he roared, "You bastard, you sold your soul to the devil! You're a wicked, chaotic devil!"

Martin was still laughing.

Although there was a script, old grudges and new hatred combined to enrage Bale, and the anger on his face was not an act.

He's always wanted to beat that bastard up!

Bell charged forward, like Batman, and swung his fist at Martin's head.

Martin reached out to block, but Bell's fist landed on his shoulder, which only made him laugh louder.

Bell threw a second punch.

If it weren't for the need to promote the film and prevent Batman from being unilaterally beaten, Martin could have easily delivered a knee strike to Bale's groin, turning him into a cooked shrimp.

He struggled to hold onto Bell's arm, and the two ended up in a wrestling position.

The media reporters and movie fans below the stage were stunned: What's going on? Did the two main actors in the film start fighting on set?

These people had all seen the trailers released by the production team and had the illusion that Batman and the Joker had fought in real life instead of on screen.

Not only were the reporters stunned, but even Nolan and his staff on stage were taken aback. For a moment, no one stepped forward to separate Martin and Bell.

Reporters' cameras and video cameras were constantly in action, and quick-thinking fans pulled out their phones to take photos and videos.

With a thud, Bell and Martin fell to the floor one after the other on the stage, becoming entangled together.

Bell roared repeatedly, "You chaotic, evil devil!"

Martin just laughed heartily!

Nolan seemed to only then realize what was happening, shouting, "Hurry! Separate them!" His voice was loud, carrying throughout the room through the microphone in his collar: "Damn it, those two characters are still affecting them!"

Several staff members ran over to break up the fight.

Bruce also went up on stage, just in case something unexpected happened.

With several people surrounding Martin and Bale, Nolan couldn't even get a hand, yet this truly demonstrated the professionalism of a commercial director.

"Bale, you're not Batman now! Martin, you're not the Joker! You two, that's enough!" He was flushed and veins were bulging in his neck. "This is San Diego, this is your real world, not Gotham!"

Finally, Martin and Bell were separated, with several staff members standing between them to keep them apart.

Bell was furious.

Martin was still laughing, a wild, insane, and evil laugh.

This unique promotional campaign is coming to an end.

Nolan directed Martin and Bale to leave, specifically instructing them through the microphone: "Split up, don't let them meet again! They're still affected by Batman and the Joker's emotions!"

After the two were persuaded to leave the stage, Nolan said apologetically, "I'm very sorry, some unexpected circumstances have occurred, which has prevented the interaction from continuing. This morning will have to end here."

Many reporters below shouted, "Did they fight because of Batman and the Joker?"

Nolan added, "I urgently need to find out about their situation. Please pay attention to the production team's announcements; we will provide updates as soon as possible."

Ignoring the surging crowd of reporters and fans, Nolan hurriedly left the stage.

In a backstage dressing room, Martin took off his ripped jacket, tossed it aside casually, and said, "Sure enough, luxury goods are all disposable."

Bruce glanced at it: "They all say that wearing a gift twice is really cheap."

He saw Martin shaking his arm and asked, "Are you alright?"

Martin rubbed his fingers together and said, "When I was holding the brace, I gripped Bell's wrists tightly, and I might have used a bit too much force; my fingers hurt."

He rubbed his hands: "Bell's wrists are too stiff, not flexible enough."

Bruce expressed boundless sympathy: "Poor Bell."

In another lounge, Bell stood with his hands in front of him, wincing in pain as he looked at his wrists.

Both wrists were bruised, and some parts were even purple.

How much force did that bastard use?

Bell suspects that his wrist might have fractured if someone hadn't intervened in time.

Inside the exhibition hall, the reporters scattered like madmen, each clutching their cameras and searching for places to send out their materials. This big news had to be released as soon as possible.

The internet age is different from the past. In the past, people could take their time and wait for the newspaper to be published the next day.

Now, timeliness is paramount.

A reporter from TMZ found a spot with good Wi-Fi, had a colleague connect his laptop to the computer, and quickly sent out the video he had recorded. He then called Jody: "Boss, big news! Bale and Martin are fighting! These two seem to still be caught up in Batman and the Joker; they started fighting without saying a word. A huge clash between good and evil in real life!"

Jody said, "You keep an eye on the Dark Knight crew. It's clear that Martin and Bell's psychological issues stemming from their roles haven't been fully resolved."

She reacted incredibly quickly: "I had someone keep an eye on the Beverly Psychiatric Clinic; Martin might go see his therapist."

It took a long time for the video from here to be transmitted back to TMZ headquarters.

Jody edited the news herself, without needing much text. She pulled up video footage of Martin and Bale clashing on set because they were too immersed in their roles from the behind-the-scenes video of the crew being "hackered". She also combined this with news about Bale receiving psychological treatment and Martin going to the psychologist every week, and put it all together into a column.

She called the editor-in-chief to ask for instructions, and TMZ added a new section specifically for publishing news videos related to the Dark Knight, especially about Martin and Bell's illness.

The video news immediately sparked intense curiosity among netizens.

Under the deliberate guidance of a professional team hired by Warner Bros., the focus of the public's attention shifted to what kind of plot and characters the Dark Knight had that could have such a huge impact on the two main characters.

Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of countless media reporters, Martin, accompanied by Bruce, boarded a helicopter and left San Diego ahead of schedule, returning to Los Angeles.

Then, reporters photographed Bale leaving San Diego Airport.

Following the events, the Dark Knight production team held a press conference, where Nolan, on behalf of the team, reported on the morning's events and the condition of Martin and Bale.

"Both actors were in poor mental condition and left San Diego early." He said with a somber expression, "Martin and Bale are both dedicated and excellent actors who put in a lot of effort to portray the Joker and Batman. I never imagined that these two special roles would have such a significant impact on real life..."

Besides filmmaking, Nolan's ability to promote and hype films is equally outstanding.

Facing a barrage of questions from reporters, he calmly answered various difficult questions, constantly using the art of language to stimulate media curiosity and exploration of the Dark Knight.

Before nightfall, The Dark Knight, along with Martin and Bell, entered the top three trending searches on Google.

(End of this chapter)