America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 517 Capture them alive

Irvine, Orange County, California.

After lunch, Andy Weir went to the office window and looked into the distance to relax his eyes.

In the small square in front of the office building, the orc wolf rider statue holds its battle axe high, while the Lich King on the other side points his sword into the distance.

Andy Weir looked down and pulled out a card with the phone number of a publisher who had contacted him, wanting to push for the publication of his part-time serialized novel, "The Martian."

That was his most precious child, to whom he poured countless efforts.

Andy Weir stared at the Lich King's statue and murmured, "My child, how I wish that on the day you were born, all of America would proclaim your name..."

The wish was beautiful, but the reality was cruel.

Andy-Will took out his phone and dialed the publisher's number, but it was busy.

After waiting for a while, I called again, but it was still busy.

Andy Weir has a bad feeling about him; the publisher might reject his work.

He was given hope, then lost it all; his mind was in turmoil.

Before going to work in the afternoon, Andy Weir made one last call to that number, but still couldn't get through.

Just as I was about to put my phone down, it vibrated, and the caller ID showed an unknown number.

Andy answered: "This is Andy-Will."

The voice on the other end was unfamiliar: "Hello, Mr. Will, I am Thomas Lane, Martin Davis's agent. I am here on Martin's behalf to discuss matters related to 'The Martian' with you."

Andy was stunned: "Martin Davis? Martin from Hollywood?"

"That's right, the Martin you know, the American national hero Martin." The person on the other end asked, "Do you have time now? Let's find a place to talk."

Just when all hope seemed lost, an even greater hope emerged. Without hesitation, Andy said, "Okay, okay, I'll go ask for leave right now."

Andy put all his work aside, asked his supervisor for leave, and drove to the agreed-upon location.

He remembered something: Martin Davis's films "Wanted" and "Limitless" were both adaptations of literary works.

Gillian Flynn, who was previously unknown, became a New York bestseller after Martin and David Fincher decided to adapt her novel "Gone Girl".

Whether you become a programmer for life or achieve fame with a single book, there's no need to choose.

When the car stopped outside the agreed-upon coffee shop, Andy didn't go in immediately. After his initial excitement subsided, he calmed down a bit, took out his phone, and searched for Martin's agent.

There are many pictures of Martin with his agent online.

Andy memorized the person's appearance, got out of the car and went into the coffee shop, and immediately found the exact same face.

However, his hair seems to be thinner than it appears online; online he still has hair on his forehead, but now he's bald.

Thomas also saw Andy, stood up to shake his hand, invited him to sit down, and got straight to the point: "When Martin was in Washington, he saw your serialized 'The Martian' on your personal blog and was very interested in it, wanting to promote the book's publication and film adaptation."

Andy asked eagerly, "Is Martin playing the male lead?"

Thomas, having received a definitive answer from Martin, replied, "Yes, that's 100% certain."

Andy knew his chance to change his destiny was right in front of him. He immediately forgot about the publisher who had contacted him but then disappeared: "I'm willing to work with Martin!"

Only he himself knows how much he sacrificed to write "The Martian".

To write this novel well, Andy taught himself orbital dynamics, botany, the history of spaceflight, and an overview of Mars, among other things.

"A wise decision," Thomas said with a smile. "You can call your agent over, and we can discuss the copyright licensing matters together."

Andy smiled helplessly: "I don't have an agent."

Thomas is following proper procedures to avoid future disputes: "A lawyer is also an option."

Blizzard has professional copyright lawyers, so Andy immediately called for help, and the next day they began formal licensing negotiations with Thomas.

…………

Astra Cinema, Morocco.

While the crew was taking a break, Martin quietly entered the studio equipped with a centrifuge.

Nolan, who had been listless, immediately perked up upon seeing Martin, rushing over to give him a bear hug: "I've been waiting for you to come back!"

Martin said with a smile, "I rushed back as soon as things were settled in Washington."

Menne and Ellen Page then ran over to congratulate Martin on receiving the Distinguished Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Nolan was about to wave when he noticed his assistant standing behind him with a pen and notebook.

"Write that down," Nolan said directly. "During filming, Martin Davis received the Distinguished Medal of Freedom in Washington, D.C., and upon his return to the set, the crew held a grand celebration for him."

As the assistant quickly took notes, he glanced at the other side of the studio, where a group of British actors, led by Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, clearly had no intention of congratulating Martin.

Nolan paused briefly, then, recalling a crucial piece of tidbit that could be used for publicity, added, "Oscar's daughter, Maria, is spending her summer vacation on the set for a practical experience..."

The assistant felt that, so far, Martin's receipt of the Distinguished Medal of Freedom and the participation of Guan Hai's daughter in the film crew's practical experience were the most eye-catching events.

"That's all for now." Guan Hai's daughter came to the film crew for practice and was able to write dozens of different behind-the-scenes stories and news articles. Nolan felt that even Martin, who didn't cause any trouble, could create an eye-catching effect, which made him feel much more at ease.

In recent days, Nolan has even considered personally getting involved with Martin to create some news and attention.

But he was also worried that if he really angered Martin, he might become the next Bale.

After the studio quieted down a bit, Nolan approached Martin and said, "The crew has had a lot of good news lately. You received the Distinguished Freedom Medal, and Professor Mordechai won the Moroccan National Physics Prize."

These can all be used in advertising and marketing.

"Where's the professor?" Martin didn't see Mordechai. "I want to congratulate him."

Nolan looked around and pointed behind the centrifuge: "It's there." He added, "The professor won't be staying on set for long; he's going to Tehran for an academic exchange soon."

Tehran? When Martin looked in that direction, he saw Modicay and that beautiful woman named Gisele walking out together.

Modica also saw Martin and walked over: "Congratulations."

He didn't just offer his congratulations; he also pulled a small box from his pocket: "This is for you."

Martin then said, "Professor, I also want to congratulate you on winning the grand prize."

When Bruce saw Mordecai take out the gift box, he opened his bag, took out the Cola Cult version Joker gift box, and walked over quickly.

After Martin finished offering his congratulations, Bruce, who was working in perfect harmony, had already handed him the gift box. He then gave it to Mordechai: "My family hand-carved it themselves."

Modikai said with a smile, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

After accepting it, he handed it to Giselle, who was standing next to him.

After a short break, the crew was almost ready, and Nolan raised the megaphone to notify the actors to get ready.

Menez is the absolute lead in the action scenes that will be filmed next.

All the actors entered the revolving corridor.

There were no scenes for Martin today, so Martin went behind the director's monitor and quietly watched Nolan direct the entire crew.

The director is the overall commander on set, and even the producer will prioritize the director's opinions on set.

After a period of training, Menez was able to handle the action scenes in the rotating corridor.

However, Nolan designed hundreds of shots for this scene, and other actors, including Martin Scorsese, had to work with Mayne.

Martin watched for a while through the director's monitor and found that Menez performed quite well in both the action scenes and the wire work.

During a break in filming, Gisele went to make coffee for Mordecai.

Another plain-looking female assistant came over and asked in French, "How's it going?"

Gisele replied in French, "He trusts me now, and I'll try again."

The man glanced outside and said, "The intelligence from above is correct. Modica has made a breakthrough in some areas. There are orders from above that it's best to take him out; he's valuable to us. If that's not possible, we should at least try to capture him alive."

She emphasized, "He will be going to Tehran next month for academic exchanges, and we don't have much time left."

Footsteps sounded outside. Giselle nodded slightly, picked up the freshly brewed coffee, and left.

At lunchtime, she went to the restaurant to get her food and brought it to Mordecai's office to eat together.

In the few days since Martin left, Gisele and Mordechai's relationship has progressed rapidly, almost like that of a couple.

"We'll finish filming the centrifuge scenes in ten days at most," Gisele said between bites. "You said last time you'd take me to the Mediterranean after filming..."

Modikai scratched his head and said apologetically, "I probably can't go. I'm going to Tehran for an academic exchange."

Gisele was very surprised, but she didn't show it on her face: "To Tehran?"

"Originally, I was going to go next month," Modica explained, "but after discussions between the University of Casablanca and the University of Tehran, the itinerary was changed, and some things need to be handled two weeks earlier."

Giselle's face flashed with disappointment: "I see..."

Modiqa is a well-known physicist in Morocco with extensive research on centrifuges, which is why the production team invited him to participate.

Giselle was worried that some centrifuges could be used in specialized industries.

Mordecai added, "After we return from the academic exchange, I'll take you on a trip to Europe."

Giselle couldn't object, so she agreed first: "Okay."

After lunch, when Gisele went to throw out the trash, she ran into that unremarkable female assistant again.

"Did you mention it?" the female assistant asked.

"The situation has changed." Giselle lowered her voice and said quickly, "Modiqa is going to Tehran ahead of schedule, probably because he has something very important to deal with."

Upon hearing this, the female assistant hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind: "We can't wait any longer. We'll find an opportunity to make our move tonight."

Giselle said, "You'd better have a plan."

The female assistant nodded: "I'll go back to the hotel early and think of a way to prevent Modica from returning to Casablanca."

(End of this chapter)