America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 524 Deportation and Imprisonment Back Home

"No, he's still using the same old tricks."

In the Brooklyn Studios soundstage, Nicholson, watching the filming pause, said to Martin, "At this rate, he still has no chance of winning Best Actor."

Martin pointed out a reality: "Everyone knows that Leonardo wants to win an Oscar, and he also wants to prove himself at the Oscars. This creates a situation where the judges have very high expectations of him, much higher than for the average actor."

Nicholson agreed: "Same role, same acting, same public relations, and others can win Best Actor, but Leo can't."

Jennifer Lawrence stood quietly, not saying much.

Beside them, three crew assistants stared at Martin and Nicholson as if they were thieves.

These people were all Scorsese's cronies.

Scorsese, sitting in the director's chair, would glance over every now and then, clearly not quite at ease with Martin and Nicholson.

Martin said, "The director doesn't quite trust us."

"I don't trust you!" Nicholson asked. "Did you put the butter in there?"

Martin looked completely innocent: "What butter?"

Nicholson pointed at him: "There's butter on my pants, and on Leo's ass."

Martin stared in disbelief, his mouth agape. "Jack, you really used butter on Leo? God, how could you do this? Leo considers you his boss!"

Perhaps the performance was too realistic, because Jennifer Lawrence was affected and turned to look at Nicholson with undisguised shock in her eyes.

Nicholson roared, "I'm going to be fucking driven mad by you and Leo, those two idiots!"

"Don't worry, don't worry." Martin's attitude immediately improved, and he reassured her, "I believe Leo will take good care of Lorraine."

Nicholson grinned and said, "You're really good with words. Can you please stop talking?"

Martin gestured for him to shut up, glanced at his watch, and said, "I have an appointment, I'm heading out now."

Nicholson waved his hand, telling the bastard to get lost.

After Martin left, Jennifer Lawrence came over.

Nicholson was still concerned about his reputation in this area: "I've never even considered using anything like butter."

Jennifer Lawrence nodded mechanically.

"I believe you." Lawrence leaned closer and lowered his voice. "If you want to use butter, just tell me, and you can try it on me."

Nicholson paused for a moment, then waved his hand.

It was a special state of mind, but the person who gave him that special state of mind has already gone to report to God.

On set, after Martin's special treatment, Leonardo's condition fully recovered. Perhaps stimulated by the butter, he was in top form, and most of his scenes were completed in one or two takes.

This also gave him more time to rest.

Just then, Michelle Williams, a supporting actress in the film, walked by. Leonardo thought of that bastard Martin, went over and sat down in the chair next to her: "Misha, your performance in that scene was just perfect."

"Thank you," Michelle said politely. "The main thing is that you've regained your acting form."

Leonardo laughed: "You've probably heard, that bastard Martin cured my fear with his own." His tone suddenly shifted: "Is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Martin?"

Michelle didn't deny it. After thinking for a moment, she said, "A little."

Leonardo's mind was already churning with mischief: "Martin and I are very good friends, and you're a friend too. I don't want any misunderstandings between friends. How about this, I'll arrange for you to meet Martin, and we can clear up this little misunderstanding?"

Michelle looked at Leonardo, seemingly thinking seriously for a few seconds: "No need for that. My misunderstanding with Martin stemmed from my ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger. Now that I've broken up with Heath Ledger, there's no need to talk about misunderstandings anymore."

Leonardo, still harboring his ulterior motives, said, "We'll see when we have the chance to meet."

Michelle smiled and nodded.

…………

After leaving Brooklyn Studios, Martin returned to Manhattan and met Bradley, a screenwriter signed with Davis Studios, in a hotel coffee shop.

During the filming of "John Wick," Scorsese's producer Graham introduced Martin to novelist Chuck Hogan, from whom Martin bought the adaptation rights to "Prince of Thieves."

After filming wrapped, Graham and Chuck Hogan went to Boston, the setting of the novel, and spent an extended period living there before adapting the novel into a screenplay based on their experiences.

The first draft of the script has just been completed.

Bradt handed the revised draft of the script to Martin: "I had significant creative differences with Chuck Hogan when adapting the script. He wanted to explore Charleston, the origin of the story, to delve into the deeper reasons behind it, as well as more profound topics such as the complexity of human nature."

Martin frowned slightly: "I remember the novel itself was more entertainment-oriented."

"Perhaps influenced by the writers around him, he believed that artistic achievement and story depth should outweigh entertainment value." Bradett shrugged. "I convinced him to cut out too much complexity. Charleston was simply used as a backdrop, and the main focus was on the bank robbery, ensuring the script had sufficient entertainment value and storytelling."

Martin nodded: "You did a great job. This is a commercial film first and foremost, and everything else comes second."

Bradett said, "A director familiar with the Boston area would be more suitable to make this film, perhaps Scorsese..."

Martin slowly shook his head: "No need to think about it, this project doesn't have that much budget."

Scorsese's most commercially successful film to date is "The Departed".

Most of the time, this renowned director's films rely on the slow recovery of revenue from the offline market to generate profits.

Without a budget of around $100 million, how could you possibly hire Scorsese?

Martin opened the script and skimmed through the beginning, which featured a bank robbery scene right from the start—a truly captivating spectacle.

The three-act structure of the plot is very compact, with a strong emphasis on the male protagonist's role.

In recent years, Brad Pitt's screenwriting skills have improved significantly. Although he had almost no room to maneuver in the previous film "John Wick," where he only needed to string together the action scenes conceived by the director, this adaptation is of a high standard.

Martin was a poor student, but after reading a lot of scripts, he could still distinguish between good and bad ones.

The script is like a highly entertaining derivative that blends multiple elements together.

Martin skimmed through the manuscript, put the supplementary text aside, and said, "The story as a whole is fine. I'll review the other aspects carefully before we talk about them. This project might not be implemented until next year, so you still have time to revise it."

Bradley responded, "I'll go back to Boston and live there until the crew is formed. Being there in person will give me more creative ideas and inspiration."

He felt there was still room for revision in the script: "There are many elderly people in the area who experienced that chaotic era of crime, and they are willing to talk to me. From them, I can get more interesting stories, some of which may be used in the script."

Martin pointed to the script: "So, you've used some of it?"

Bradett said, "Yes, I used some of them on the male lead."

Martin said, "Okay, you can stay in Boston."

Bradt took his leave.

Martin carefully examined the script, considering which director would be better suited for this style of story.

Hiring a director with a completely opposite style is just asking for trouble.

Like David Fincher, if you let him make a film full of sunshine and positive energy, he might end up with a hodgepodge.

If this story were set in the 1990s, it would have been a perfect fit for Michael Mann, but in this fast-paced era, Michael Mann's films, like his name, are simply too slow.

After leaving the coffee shop, Martin called Nicholson, and the two agreed to take a flight back to Los Angeles early the next morning.

The operation to rescue Leonardo was a great success, and Scorsese treated them like thieves, so there was no need for the two of them to stay in New York any longer.

…………

In Burbank, Los Angeles, Christopher Nolan returns from the location shooting area and enters Warner Bros. Studios.

Just as I returned to the director's office, a female assistant knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Director, David Goyer is here and waiting for you in the lounge."

David Goyer previously collaborated with Nolan, serving as the credited writer and producer of "The Dark Knight," and is also a director with a certain reputation in Hollywood.

As the man approached, Nolan went up and shook his hand: "David, what brings you here today?"

Goye sat on the sofa: "I just happened to be passing by and heard you were back from Morocco, so I thought I'd drop by and see you."

Upon hearing "Morocco," Nolan's gaze instinctively fell on Goyer's large nose. He remembered something: Goyer was a typical Jew.

He remained calm: "Discussing the plot of Batman 3? It's a bit early now. Let's talk about it after I finish filming this movie."

Gao Ye didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "No, that's not it. The media was reporting on the kidnapping case you and the crew were involved in a while ago. It's really good that nothing happened."

Nolan emphasized, "I was lucky to catch them on the spot. They had kidnapped an important scientist from Morocco. If anything had gone wrong, the crew and I would have faced a very serious situation."

"Fortunately, you're all safe and sound." Goyer had worked closely with Nolan, so he was asked by someone to come over specifically for this purpose: "Those people should be punished severely. I heard that Morocco is handling this matter and preparing to deport them. They're contacting their places of origin so they can go back to their home countries and serve their sentences."

Nolan feigned confusion: "I heard they're French?"

Goyer said, "Regardless of their nationality, this matter still requires your approval."

If Nolan were to cause trouble, given his reputation and the supporters he has, it would ultimately be a problematic situation.

"I see..." Nolan appeared calm on the surface, but was inwardly very unhappy.

When he left Astra Cinema, he told the Moroccan authorities to just follow the normal procedures.

The relevant penalties are certainly not severe.

As a result, these people wanted to carry out deportation and repatriation.

Go back to China and go to jail? You're kidding me.

Goyer smiled and looked at Nolan: "Of course, you captured four criminals and avoided international disputes, so they will be sincerely grateful."

(End of this chapter)