America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 525 The King of Pit Kings

After his morning run, Martin returned to the villa, took the towel handed to him by the butler, wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck, and asked, "Is Liz up yet?"

The housekeeper took the towel back: "Make breakfast in the kitchen."

Martin strode into the restaurant.

Perhaps having heard the commotion, Elizabeth came out with breakfast and deliberately complained, "Getting up so early, you woke me up early too."

"I'm used to it." Despite his age, Martin doesn't feel any decline in his physical strength or energy; he remains as vigorous as the midday sun. "After breakfast, go back to sleep for a while; you went to bed too late last night."

Elizabeth frankly stated, "I was so excited last night that my back aches."

She set out breakfast and sat down opposite Martin: "I'm not going to sleep. I've made plans with Maria and Sophia Stallone to go see the Lily College art exhibition today."

Martin then remembered that Obama's daughter was still in Los Angeles, and Elizabeth had been in charge of hosting her: "Is she easy to get along with?"

Elizabeth smiled sweetly: "Teenagers are easy to please."

Martin nodded and said, "Tell Maria that the crew will regroup soon, and she will join them then."

Elizabeth replied, "She's been waiting."

After breakfast, Martin changed his clothes and went out to WMA.

Elizabeth drove her Porsche to meet up with Maria, Sofia, and the others.

Upon arriving at Century City and entering the WMA headquarters, Martin, who hadn't been there for several months and didn't even recognize the two receptionists, greeted all the WMA employees who came across him.

Good morning, Martin.

"Martin, you're even more handsome than before."

"I have a few female clients who are a perfect match for you. Would you like to meet them and give them a chance?"

Looking around, you see good people everywhere.

Martin simply smiled and nodded without saying anything more, then turned into the corridor leading to the VIP elevator lobby, where it finally became quiet.

Ali then entered the company's front hall.

The new receptionist in the company's mailroom was very observant. She jogged over and said, "President, Martin has arrived at the company and just turned towards the private elevator."

Ali took off running and ran into the elevator, catching up with Martin before he could enter.

Martin shook his hand: "I heard you're getting engaged? Have you decided on a date? I'd like to prepare a gift."

"The time hasn't been set yet." Ali followed Martin into the elevator, jokingly adding, "I definitely won't invite you to my fiancée's bachelorette party."

Martin couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'll attend your bachelor party, Ali. I trust your judgment and abilities."

Ali had heard some rumors circulating in the modeling industry: "Don't get your hopes up too high, I can't find a bunch of Victoria's Secret Angels."

Women love to show off more than men, and this showing off encompasses all aspects of life. As Martin's fame grew and he was given the title of American hero, it naturally became a source of pride for those Victoria's Secret Angels.

Phrases like "I've been with Martin, what kind of junk are you playing with?" are frequently heard in the daily feuds of supermodels.

Martin said, "Set a time, and remember to call me."

"No problem." The elevator arrived, and Ali accompanied Martin out, saying, "Thomas has received many film offers for you, including some projects that the company is pushing forward. You must take a close look at them."

He considered for a moment: "Over the years, you've always chosen your own films, and each successful film has proven your discerning eye. The company won't interfere with your choices, but there's one thing I want to remind you of: with your talent, it would be a real shame to solely pursue a commercial or artistic path."

Martin understood what he meant: "I won't give up on the Oscar path."

Ali shook hands with him: "Let's play golf together sometime."

Martin then went to Thomas's partner's office.

This guy is a perfect example of someone who went bald but also became stronger, climbing all the way from a junior agent to a company partner.

When Thomas saw Martin come in, he immediately called the finance department.

The deputy director of the finance department personally brought the documents over, had Martin sign them for confirmation, and then called the company's finance department to transfer the funds.

After nearly a year of waiting since the release of "The Dark Knight," Martin's post-production share has finally arrived.

Over the past year, including North American box office revenue, DVD sales, and related image rights, after deducting agent commissions, $3466 million was transferred to Martin's account.

Thomas asked, "Now that you've made such a big sum, do you have any spending plans? Count me in."

After the money was transferred to the account, Martin signed the receipt and said, "Buy some stocks, buy some fixed assets, and the rest will probably be spent on food, drinks, and entertainment."

He was obviously exaggerating: "Before next year's tax season arrives, try to invest and consume more, otherwise you'll just be letting the tax bureau profit for nothing."

Thomas, hoping for a better future for Martin, reminded him, "You should still save some money."

Martin has always done this: "I keep one-fifth of it as an emergency reserve."

There's no rush to invest; the next tax season is still a long way off. Besides Apple stock, Martin is also keeping an eye on other investment opportunities.

Of course, money is meant to be spent and enjoyed.

While ensuring long-term returns, short-term expenses should not be ignored.

Martin asked Bruce, "I remember Elizabeth really liked Porsches?"

Bruce thought for a moment: "She's never driven the Cadillac at home; she clearly doesn't like it."

Martin asked, "When I was in New York, I remember reading a GG article about Porsche releasing a four-door sedan?"

Thomas, who knew more about it, said, "The Panamera, a four-door coupe."

Martin nodded and said, "Old Brooks, order a high-spec Panamera. Get the paperwork done today and have them delivered it directly to our house."

Bruce went out to take care of this matter.

Thomas took out a thick stack of invitations, placed them on the table, and said, "You've been getting invitations from many people and events lately; the important ones are all on here."

Martin picked them up and looked at them one by one. Most of them were invitations from charities or environmental organizations, as well as some from individuals.

For example, Hefner invited him to a pajama party.

Martin saw a special invitation; the cover featured two equilateral triangles linked together in an "S" shape.

Thomas emphasized, "It's an invitation from Tom Cruise. His leader, Hubbard, invites you to visit the Scientology headquarters when you have some free time."

He was somewhat worried: "Cruise helped you win the Cannes Best Actor award, but they clearly had ulterior motives."

Martin waved his hand: "Even if I go to see Hubbard, it will be a dialogue between the leaders of two sects."

Thomas then realized that Martin's Cult of Cola had several times more followers than Hubbard's Scientology.

By that calculation, Martin, the cult leader, has even more capital than Hubbard.

Thomas continued, "We've secured the rights to 'The Martian,' and the original author, Andy Weir, wants to meet with you."

"Okay." Martin thought for a moment, "Ask him if he has time this afternoon."

Thomas called Andy Weir, and they agreed to meet at WMA that afternoon.

After receiving the basic adaptation fee, Andy Weir resigned from Blizzard Entertainment to focus on creating The Martian.

Martin's studio and Random House have a written agreement with him that the novel must be completed by the end of this year.

After finishing his call, Thomas brought up the director's matter again: "Ridley Scott is a client of the company, and his agent is Ali. I've spoken with both of them about this. Ridley hasn't given his opinion yet, but he has extended an invitation to you."

Martin had a bad feeling: "An offer for a role?"

Thomas nodded slightly: "Yes, Ridley invited you to play the lead role in his new film, but it's an epic masterpiece, based on the life of Robin Hood. You said you always refuse epic films, so I temporarily turned it down because your schedule didn't fit."

He also expressed some helplessness: "Ridley thinks highly of you, believes you are particularly suitable for the role of Robin Hood, and said that if you play the male lead, the production team will immediately fire the already confirmed female lead, Cate Blanchett."

Martin knew that epic films of this era were all duds, with Ridley Scott's epics being a prime example, and said, "Give me a clear answer, find a reason to politely decline."

"Okay, I'll figure something out." Thomas added, "Inviting Ridley Scott to direct again might be a bit of a hassle."

Martin couldn't risk ruining his reputation over this, so he said, "Let's talk about it after the novel is finished."

Thomas then pulled out several more audition invitations.

Martin watched them carefully, and the only one that caught his eye was the Wachowski siblings' new film, Cloud Atlas.

The siblings, who have a long-standing partnership with Warner Bros., sent a very sincere invitation, even including a complete script.

Martin skimmed through the script and felt it was even more complex than the script for Inception, leaving him completely bewildered and unable to understand it.

Thomas said, "I met with Lana, and she...she said she'd be willing to wait for your availability."

Martin closed the script and said, "Let's drop it. Our ideologies are too different; we can't work together."

"Okay." Thomas took back the script and added, "I've read the script, and I feel that the design is very grand, and the descriptions of time, space, and human nature are spectacular."

"Robin Hood" and "Cloud Atlas" are key projects promoted by WMA. He added, "These were highly recommended to Lana by Larry's top female client, Natalie Portman, during the filming of 'V for Vendetta.'"

Martin didn't say much, he just shook his head.

Ridley Scott's epic films are huge pitfalls, and the Wachowskis' projects after The Matrix are the king of pitfalls.

Thomas saw that Martin had made up his mind and said no more.

In his eyes, the company was far less important than Martin.

Martin had no recollection of the roles, titles, or content of the other film offers, and since he wasn't short of projects, he had Thomas turn them all down.

In the afternoon, he met with Andy Weir, the author of "The Martian," and discussed the novel's progress in detail, confirming that it could be completed this year. He also spoke with Louise on the phone to advance the project.

(End of this chapter)