America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 587 Dark Land

Gillian Flynn arrived just in time; Martin had just finished eating.

He put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and said, "You already have a new dish?"

After completing the script for "Gone Girl", Gillian Flynn has been very busy. Although she came to Cape Girardeau with the crew to film, she rarely appears on set.

"I'm used to being busy, I can't stand being idle." She smiled and spoke frankly: "Taking advantage of the buzz surrounding my vanished lover, I need to quickly release a new work. I'm still a poor writer."

The sparsely populated buffet restaurant was rather chaotic, and people around, perhaps having overheard Gillian Flynn's words, also turned to look at her with interest.

Martin suggested, "Shall we talk somewhere else?"

Gillian nodded: "Okay."

The two left the restaurant and went to the coffee shop on the same floor, where they found a quiet booth.

Gillian pulled out a printed manuscript and handed it to Martin: "The new book is called 'Dark Lands,' and its overall style is similar to the previous one."

"You can tell from the title." Martin took it and started reading.

This is a novel featuring a female protagonist.

When the female protagonist was a child, her mother and sister were brutally murdered by a deranged serial killer, and she identified her brother as the murderer. However, as an adult, she discovered that there were some suspicious circumstances involved.

Because of "Gone Girl," Martin watched it very carefully, searching his memory as he watched, but he had no recollection of it at all.

Later, he simply stopped reminiscing and focused on his novels.

After reading the rest, Martin asked, "Are you trying to touch on the leading questions used when asking young children about evidence, a topic that has been the subject of social reflection in recent years?"

Gillian replied, "Yes, there are elements of that."

Martin nodded slightly and continued reading, quickly finishing the thin manuscript.

Perhaps because Gone Girl was so amazing, or perhaps because the novel is not yet finished, Martin Scorsese's Dark Lands doesn't feel particularly outstanding.

Seeing Martin close the manuscript, Gillian eagerly asked, "How was it?"

Martin, not wanting to mislead anyone, said, "Personally, I still prefer Gone Girl a little more."

"When I was creating, I didn't have the same exhilarating feeling as I did with the last film." Gillian is generally aware of her strengths and weaknesses: "The last film had a classic real-life case to draw on. Agatha Christie's experience dealing with her cheating husband gave me plenty of inspiration."

Martin handed the manuscript back to Gillian: "You finish it first."

Gillian smiled and said, "Okay."

Martin left the coffee shop first, went upstairs back to his room, and was just about to take a shower when someone knocked on the door from the outside.

He looked through the peephole and opened the door.

Léa Seydoux didn't wait for Martin to move aside; she and Martin squeezed into the room together.

To play the role of Margot, she cut her long hair into a medium-short style. Apart from the different hair color, she looked quite similar to the character in Martin's memory of "Blue Is the Warmest Color".

Of course, the romance and charm unique to French women are even more exquisite, like a blazing flame.

For Martin, this was completely different from how he felt when he was with Charlize.

…………

In the coffee shop downstairs, Gillian put away her manuscript and waited for a while.

The agent came in from outside, sat down opposite her, and asked, "How did the conversation go? What did Martin say?"

Gillian was honest: "Martin wants to wait until the novel is completely finished before we talk about it."

The agent frowned slightly and asked, "What happened when you were discussing 'Gone Girl'?"

"Martin only read the beginning, but he showed great interest." Gillian recalled the first time she talked to Martin about the previous book: "He knew about Agatha Christie's special experience, so when he heard that Amy used a similar method to get revenge on Nick, he was immediately interested."

She thought for a moment and then said, "I remember very clearly that Martin only read the first half of the novel before deciding to buy the film and television adaptation rights and send someone over to discuss cooperation."

The agent said, "You finish the novel first; leave the publishing and adaptation rights to me."

He specifically encouraged Gillian: "Gone Girl has already entered the top three of the New York Times bestseller list. Your next book is highly valued by publishers, and the chances of the film adaptation by Martin and David Fincher being successful are very high. There's no need to worry about the adaptation rights at all."

Gillian thought the same way: "I'll try to finish the novel before the movie is released, and publish it when the movie comes out. If it can make it onto the bestseller list again, the rights can fetch a good price."

"Gone Girl" is a new work by a new author. Although Gillian signed a compensation agreement with Davis Studio and received a share of the adaptation rights from the Writers Guild, she could not earn as much as she would have after becoming famous.

The agent advised, "It's true that Martin helped you a lot in your success, but business is business. We can't only work with Martin. There are many Hollywood production companies, and quite a few of them have called me, wanting to explore opportunities to work with you."

Gillian thought for a moment and said, "You stay in touch with them, and we'll wait patiently for 'Gone Girl' to be released."

The agent agreed: "As long as Martin can lead the film to commercial success, your value and the value of your next book will easily go up."

"However, if Martin's offer is right, we'll still prioritize working with him." Gillian used to be an entertainment reporter and knows that Hollywood is full of pitfalls, so Martin's side is relatively more reliable.

She said, "Martin used to live across from my house in the Coty community, and I watched him succeed step by step, from a third-rate star to the A-list celebrity he is today."

This seemingly quiet weekend was anything but peaceful for the film crew.

Gillian Flynn's conversation with Martin about his work was overheard by someone with ulterior motives.

Just like breaking news, a lot of Hollywood news can be turned into money.

Inside the cafeteria, forgetting to enjoy the free food, production assistant Foster hurried out, found a quiet spot, and took out his phone to dial a Los Angeles number.

Once the call connected, he said, "Mills, it's me. There's something you need to do right away."

Mills, on the other side, said lazily, "I'm enjoying fine wine and beautiful women. It's not important. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Foster glanced around to make sure no one was watching before raising his voice, "Big news to make money! If we do this well, we can each earn tens of thousands of dollars!"

"Wait a minute." After a while, all the chaotic noises disappeared, leaving only Mills' voice: "What big news about making money?"

Instead of saying it directly, Foster reminded me, "Before I came to Missouri, didn't you tell me that someone was keeping an eye on Martin Davis, especially regarding his new film projects?"

"That's right, exactly!" Mills emphasized. "As long as your information is confirmed, I can sell it for a high price!"

He knew how to move people: "Old buddy, no matter how much it sells for, we'll split it 50/50!"

Foster cut to the chase: "Tonight, Martin Davis is talking to someone about a new film project. Gillian Flynn, the author of 'Gone Girl,' has written a new book, and Martin is discussing an adaptation with her."

Mills was overjoyed, but still asked one more question: "Are you sure?"

Foster said, "I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears; there's absolutely no mistake."

Mills hung up the phone and immediately contacted a man named McDonald, who was a member of the assistant team of Jon Berg, the new president of Warner Bros.

The two soon met at a Starbucks in Burbank.

McDonald was dressed in a suit, his face beaming with pride. He had chosen the right boss, and his status within Warner Bros. was rising.

Upon seeing Mills, he went straight to the point: "Any news about what I assigned you?"

That didn't sound right. It was supposed to be a transaction where you paid me to do the work, so how did it turn into a superior-subordinate arrangement? Mills, slightly annoyed, reminded him, "I've got results on my end, but what about the payment you promised?"

McDonald frowned: "Tell me the results first."

Mills revealed a little more: "I have confirmed that Martin Davis has been busy throughout the filming process, looking for and planning new projects."

McDonald asked directly, "Original or adapted?"

Mills didn't say anything, he just looked at him and smiled.

McDonald was able to apply for some activity funding, so he immediately took out his personal checkbook, wrote two checks in a row, and pushed them over.

Mills glanced at it and said, "This information is worth half a million dollars! For our sake, you should at least give me one hundred thousand dollars!"

"Are you kidding me?" McDonald was so angry he almost exploded. "It's just a piece of news!"

Mills said, "This is indeed just a piece of news, but it concerns a project Martin Davis is planning!" He tapped his fingers repeatedly on the table, emphasizing, "The person interested in that project is Martin Davis!"

McDonald picked up his coffee and took a sip.

Mills added, "You work at Warner Bros., so you know Martin Davis better than I do. He's been working with Warner Bros. all these years, and has he ever had a single box office flop? Every single one of them has made the producers and distributors tens of millions of dollars in profit!"

He sneered, "Compared to a potential multi-million dollar profit, this crucial information isn't even worth a hundred thousand dollars?"

McDonald put down his coffee cup: "I can only give you ten thousand dollars!"

Mills shook his head: "You're insulting the name Martin Davis and the legendary success he represents!"

"Wait for me a moment." McDonald got up and left the coffee shop to find a place to make a phone call.

Mills waited patiently; if McDonald refused to pay, he could look for other companies.

There are definitely Hollywood companies willing to pay for projects that Martin Davis is interested in!

After a short wait, McDonald came in from outside and asked, "Are you sure Martin Davis hasn't bought the project he's interested in yet?"

Mills said, "He's not that quick yet, but if you hesitate, it's hard to say."

McDonald nodded: "One hundred thousand dollars is too much, I can only give you fifty thousand dollars."

Mills stood up and gave him a high five: "Deal!"

Soon someone came to pay, and McDonald also received the crucial information, which he immediately reported to Jon Berg, who told him to take a red-eye flight to Missouri that night.

(End of this chapter)