America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 533 Not pretty enough, so I refuse.

As he watched Beckham and Victoria approach, Martin wondered if he had fooled them by making things up.

In my memory, Victoria was as shrewd as a monkey.

The two were clearly led by Victoria. She approached Martin and said, "What you just said was quite novel."

Martin never aspired to be a Scientologist, saying, "I'm an actor, good at improvising."

Victoria was taken aback: "Uh..."

Beckham chimed in, "Martin, you are an honest and reliable man."

"This is well-known in Hollywood." Martin said helplessly, "Tommy helped me by inviting me to the party, and I couldn't refuse, but there were some things I didn't like, so I had to think of another way."

The couple came because of Tom Cruise.

Victoria chimed in, "Actually, we don't like it either." A very clever woman, she went straight to the point: "Can we join your Coca-Cola cult?"

Martin looked slightly surprised and said, "Of course you can. The Cult of Cola is a pan-faith movement. We won't require you to attend classes, nor will we purify the hearts and souls of our followers, and we don't need to solicit donations. You just need to buy a commemorative edition Coke, register on the official website, and you'll be a member of the Cult of Cola."

This kind of organization sounds more reliable than Scientology.

Beckham said, "We'll go back and join the Coca-Cola cult immediately."

Victoria's joining wasn't the goal; she asked Martin, "Does our Cola Cult have regular meetings?"

Martin hadn't considered those things yet: "Not at the moment."

"As far as I know, many people are interested in the Coca-Cola Cult." Victoria wanted to build more connections through a reliable organization, which was also the main reason for her close relationship with Tom Cruise.

She sincerely suggested, "Master, haven't you considered establishing a system for regular gatherings?"

Martin thought for a moment and said, "I will seriously consider this."

Victoria and Beckham shook hands with Martin and his entourage to say goodbye, and watched them get into their car and leave.

After seeing Menez off, Martin and Bruce returned home. Before getting out of the car, Martin asked, "Bruce, how about we establish a party system?"

Bruce consistently dismissed Martin's drunken ramblings as a joke: "Didn't you want to dissolve the Union? Maybe this will be your first step."

Martin considered it for a while: "Being a platform for exchanging personal connections and resources seems like a good idea."

He made a note of this and would have Thomas communicate with Coca-Cola about it later.

In the beginning, we will definitely need to rely on Coca-Cola's resources.

Back at the villa, Elizabeth asked in surprise, "You're back so early?"

Martin hugged her and said, "You're leaving tomorrow, so I want to spend more time with you."

The housekeeper gave Bruce a look, and the two left the villa.

Martin picked up Elizabeth and carried her upstairs.

Bruce went to the fountain, took out his phone, and made a call: "Hi, Kohler..."

He was interrupted on the other end: "Old Bu, are you coming over tonight? Kim's here too."

Bruce said, "I'm coming right now."

This was destined to be a night of constant gunfire.

The following morning, Martin went to the airport to see Elizabeth off, and then went to Warner Bros. Studios to see Nolan.

The investigation into the shooting on set has made little progress. Tom Hardy, who fired the shot, is in trouble and remains a suspect. The LAPD has ordered him not to leave Los Angeles for the time being.

Fortunately, the person's injuries were not serious, and the production crew and insurance company are discussing compensation with him.

If we give up pursuing accountability here, there will be much more room for maneuver when dealing with the matter later.

Nolan told Martin, "Filming won't resume until next week at the earliest. Fortunately, the news has attracted more attention to the film, so the crew hasn't suffered a complete loss."

Martin said, "Chris, you have a knack for turning the impossible into the possible; you always manage to influence public opinion."

Nolan said directly, "Actually, I learned from you. I've learned a lot from you, especially in terms of publicity."

Martin, concerned for his own safety, said, "The management of props on set must be strengthened."

Nolan agreed: "I'm prepared to send Anderson over there; we absolutely cannot allow any more accidents to happen."

The name sounded familiar. Martin thought for a moment before remembering that it was the screenwriter who was good at writing realistic behind-the-scenes stories.

Nolan added, "Anderson may not be good at other things, but he never compromises when it comes to carrying out the tasks I assign him."

Martin completely believes this; most screenwriters wouldn't just sit around writing such fascinating behind-the-scenes footage.

After Martin took his leave, Nolan went to the office window alone. The events in Morocco had a significant impact on him, and he still felt that the shooting was inextricably linked to Jews.

…………

Around noon, Martin received a call from Thomas, who invited him to play golf at the Los Angeles Country Club.

When Martin arrived, besides Thomas and Ali, there was another woman present.

Natalie Portman, Alibaba's number one female customer.

She was wearing a white sun hat and light-colored women's golf trousers, and looked very thin.

He looks a bit like the skinny guy Martin used to see in Hengdian in his previous life.

Martin went over, bumped fists with Ali, and said, "You picked the sport I'm worst at."

Ali laughed and said, "Because I'm only confident I can beat you in golf."

He introduced them: "This is Natalie; Nat, this is Martin, this should be your first time meeting."

Martin gently squeezed Natalie's outstretched hand: "Matilda from Leon was my childhood idol."

Natalie laughed and said, "I was naive when I was young, which is why I took on this role."

Martin's words changed again: "I like Padme Amirada just the same."

Ali pointed to the electric scooter on the side: "I'll be the driver, guys, get on."

The four people's equipment was placed on the electric scooter that Bruce was driving in the back.

Ali drove his electric scooter toward the flat lawn in the distance, saying as he went, "Some people at CAA are putting pressure on Nolan, and I hear things aren't going too well."

Martin asked, "Why?"

Ali paused for a moment, then said, "What happened to your crew in Morocco, the four female kidnappers he personally apprehended." He shrugged. "If Nolan were at the WMA, I would put pressure on him as well."

Martin remained outwardly calm, but he knew perfectly well that two of the four people on the electric scooter were Jewish.

Ali and Natalie.

Consider that Ali's brother Ram served as White House Chief of Staff, which gives a glimpse into the influence of Jews on this country.

A few years ago, Mel Gibson angrily denounced Jews, and Ali was one of the biggest driving forces behind Hollywood's ban on Mel Gibson.

Martin still looked confused: "Shouldn't the CAA support Nolan?"

"I almost forgot, you don't know the details," Ali said simply. "They are Jewish."

He added, "Just so you know."

Martin suddenly realized: "I understand, don't worry."

Ali said, "Take some time, you introduce me, and I'll talk to Nolan."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "You must have heard about the shooting incident on set. Now is not the right time. It's best to wait until the film is finished."

Ali replied, "There's no rush."

The electric cart then stopped, and the group entered the practice area. Martin's golf skills were very average, and Natalie was also a novice.

Thomas played alright.

The four of them were talking about business rather than playing ball.

Natalie swung her club, hitting the ball far away, and she shouted happily.

Martin said, "Good technique. Have you practiced before?"

Natalie put down another white ball: "I played it for a while when I was studying at Harvard, but after I went to Jerusalem for further studies, I played it much less."

Martin, a complete academic failure, wasn't interested in her subtly boastful resume and said, "I haven't practiced golf much; my forte is shooting."

Ali then came over carrying his golf clubs: "You guys had a great chat? How about a collaboration? Wouldn't it be a brilliant idea to have the company's top male and female stars appear in the same movie?"

Martin put down his club and asked, "Do you have any suitable projects?"

"I don't have it, but you do." Ali had arranged to meet Martin today specifically for two of his important clients: "Aren't you going to adapt David Fincher's bestselling book 'Gone Girl'? David Fincher is currently casting for the lead actress."

Martin said, "That's true."

Ali walked up behind Natalie and said, "Our Nat is amazing too, isn't she perfect for the amazing Amy?"

Natalie chimed in, "The character of Amy completely captivated me; her high level of education and intelligence is somewhat similar to my own."

Upon hearing this, Martin understood why Natalie had mentioned her experiences studying at Harvard and Jerusalem.

On the other side, Thomas shook his head slightly at Martin, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

Martin smiled and said, "This project involves joint investment from multiple parties, not just my studio. Even a director of David Fincher's caliber is beyond my control."

He tossed the white ball in his hand, bounced up and caught it: "I'll talk to the crew and director Fincher, and Nat will go straight to the third round of auditions. The final result will definitely depend on the opinions of all parties."

This is also the result Alibaba wanted; the female lead can't just be given away so easily.

Unless Natalie can raise a large sum of money and bring her own funding to the project.

Natalie thanked him first, saying, "Thank you, Martin."

"Don't mention it, I can't guarantee you'll win either." In Martin's eyes, the exquisite and beautiful Amy created by Gillian Flynn was simply beyond Natalie's control.

This strict vegetarian, famous throughout Hollywood, was skinny and plain-looking, and simply couldn't pass David Fincher's test.

A while ago, David Fincher's old friend Reese Witherspoon offered herself up, but Fincher rejected her without hesitation, saying she wasn't pretty enough.

Ali then brought up Ridley Scott: "Aren't you going to consider 'Robin Hood'?"

Martin refused outright: "My schedule is too flexible."

Alibaba had no choice but to accept it.

Martin wasn't too worried. Every time Ridley Scott messed up an epic, he would find a sci-fi film to salvage his reputation and confidence. He could just talk to Ridley Scott again then.

(End of this chapter)