America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 593 You actually became a spy?

The world premiere of "Inception" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

The red carpet in front of the theater was completely occupied by two large groups.

Some were dressed in black, holding up various posters or signs supporting Nolan.

These people are all die-hard fans that Nolan created with "The Dark Knight".

In the hearts of these people, he was immortalized by one movie.

The other group wore red T-shirts and were covered in the symbols of the Cola Cult; they were followers of the Cola Cult.

When Martin walked onto the red carpet, everyone, regardless of whether they were dressed in black or red, erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"Master, I love you!"

"The eternal Coca-Cola God of War!"

"The Joker, forever a god!"

"You are an agent of chaos!"

Martin waved as he walked, eliciting more shouts. He arrived at the area where the Cola Cult members were gathered, took a pen from a believer, and signed for several people.

"Cola! Cola..."

People around were shouting.

Martin pulled out a long can of Coca-Cola as if by magic, opened it, and raised a glass with the believers.

"The eternal Cult of Cola, the eternal God of War of Cola!"

Amidst the cheers of his fans, Martin raised his Coke can again: "To you lovely people!"

From the area where the group of people in black had gathered, the shouts grew even louder: "Martin, over here, over here!"

Martin put down his Coke, crossed the red carpet, and went to the other side to sign their posters of the Joker and Cobb.

A person dressed as a clown asked, "Are you going to be in the new Batman movie?"

Martin smiled and said, "I'm sorry, that involves trade secrets, and I can't answer that."

The young man in a suit next to him asked, "Martin, could you start a Chaos Cult?"

Martin simply pretended not to hear the question, signed autographs for the fans, smiled, waved, and left.

Arriving at the media area in front of the Kodak Theatre, he gave a routine interview to reporters, enthusiastically promoting the film.

The preview screenings of "Inception" have received excellent reviews and deserve praise.

Martin then went to the area where the main cast and crew were gathered, waiting for the director to arrive.

Menez leaned closer and whispered, "Boss, I gave the pendant you gave me to Celine Dion, and Celine was so happy that she sang a song just for me."

Martin said, "Celine is happy not because of the gift, but because you were the one who gave it to her."

Mene chuckled, "Boss, the gift you chose is really unique."

Ellen Page, noticing the two whispering to each other, asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Martin pointed at Menezes: "I'm asking him for advice on how to pick up girls."

Ellen Page didn't believe it: "At that party in Paris, I saw you leave with a woman so easily."

She shook her head and sighed, "I spent half the night trying to pick up a guy, and I was almost unable to get away from being harassed by several men."

Menez said, "You should have called me then."

Ellen Page shrugged: "I didn't want to bother you with that woman who looks a lot like Sophie Marceau."

Then, another earth-shattering shout rang out on the red carpet as Nolan walked onto it.

He has an unparalleled appeal among the crowd of fans dressed in black.

Even today, these people are still fiercely battling it out with fans of "The Godfather" and "The Shawshank Redemption" on IMDb.

Nolan quickly arrived at the waiting area and joined Martin and the other key members of the creative team, taking a group photo in front of the sponsors' backdrop.

Soon, the group entered the movie theater.

Guests and key members of the production team were the last to enter, including Martin and Nolan, and all waited in the theater lounge.

Nolan was under significantly less pressure than at the premiere of "The Dark Knight," telling Martin, "The big movies this summer have been doing well, and hopefully we can continue this good luck."

Martin said, "It shouldn't be a big problem."

The first film to be released this summer was "Iron Man 2," which, despite not receiving the same critical acclaim as the first film, was a box office smash.

Subsequent films such as Toy Story 3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Despicable Me, and The Karate Kid all achieved box office success.

Inception was released during Independence Day, one of the best periods of the summer movie season, alongside another big-budget film.

"The Last Airbender," produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

This Indian director is a genius; he not only made the classic "The Sixth Sense," but also fairly and justly cheated all six major Hollywood studios.

After chatting with Nolan for a few minutes, Martin saw Daniel and Warner Bros. president Jon Berger, who were with Kevin Tsujihara.

The latter walked over directly, shook hands with Martin, and said, "I have always admired you very much. You have worked your way up from the bottom to become a top Hollywood star. The roles and works you play are both entertaining and artistic, which is quite rare."

Martin understood his meaning and replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "If possible, I would also like to continue working with Warner Bros."

Kevin Tsujihara said, "You've taken the initiative to concede." He still hoped to keep this cash cow, so he casually made an empty promise: "Warner will give you back a superstar and an Oscar for Best Actor."

Hearing that the other party didn't even mention any concessions on profit sharing, Martin smiled and said, "Let me think about it."

Kevin Tsujihara, naturally condescending, said: "Opportunities missed are opportunities that will never come again."

Before Martin could say anything more, he strode toward Ridley Scott, with Ridley's agent, Ari Emmanuel, beside him.

Daniel came over, patted Martin on the shoulder, and followed him.

Jon Berg, however, stayed behind and said to Martin, "The movie 'Pharaohs and Gods,' based on Exodus, will be starting filming soon. Would you be interested in playing the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses?"

Martin shook his head: "I can't change my schedule. After the promotion for Inception is over, I have to start filming John Wick 2 right away."

Jon Berger didn't say anything more and left directly.

Martin sighed inwardly, thinking he couldn't very well jump into the hole he had dug himself.

Ridley Scott's gaze then turned to them.

Martin reacted quickly and nodded in his direction.

Old Lei nodded in response, then whispered a few words to Ali-Emanuel beside him.

Ali approached Martin and said, "Ridley asked me to ask you, when you turned down his invitation, did you think 'Robin Hood' would be a box office flop?"

The film was released in May and grossed $3606 million in its opening weekend in North America. Compared to its nearly $2 million investment, it was extremely disappointing in terms of both box office and critical reception.

Martin shrugged: "It's just that my schedule doesn't fit in. You know my schedule is very full."

Ali asked, "Didn't you think Ridley Scott was past his prime?"

"Of course not!" Martin said truthfully, "I was even thinking of inviting him to direct a film project, but unfortunately..."

Alibaba, knowing some inside information, said: "It's a pity Warner Bros. snatched the project away?"

Martin vaguely replied, "Exodus is written in the Bible, Warner Bros. can't be accused of stealing it." He then began to lay the groundwork for the future: "Tonight isn't a good time. Could you tell director Ridley Scott for me that I'm a fan of Alien, Blade Runner, Matchstick Men, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down, and I've always wanted to work with him."

Ali knew Martin to some extent and knew he wasn't joking.

Martin added, "If possible, could you spare Ridley's schedule after he finishes filming 'Owls and Gods' for me?"

Ali said, "I will give Ridley the feedback I'm giving you."

Two people arrived late and entered the VIP room at that moment.

Martin said something to Ali, then went over and said, "You two bastards, you're late."

Nicholson said, "Leo got a phone call halfway there and had to stop and wait for a while. That bastard drives slower than he can sprint in 100 meters."

"Shut up!" Leonardo glanced at the people in the VIP room, beckoned Martin and Nicholson to leave, and said in a low voice, "Do you know where that call came from? Russia!"

Martin stared in disbelief: "You...you actually became a spy! Leo, I'm going to report you!"

Nicholson immediately followed up: "Is there a reward for reporting spies?"

Leonardo DiCaprio, hands on his hips, paced back and forth angrily, saying, "Have you all forgotten that I was planning a huge Russian-Ukrainian model party!"

Martin, ever the opportunist, instantly changed his tune, accusing Nicholson: "Go catch the spy! The reward will cover the party expenses."

He asked Leonardo, "Are you sure?"

Leonardo raised his head, chin in front of Martin, and said, "Aren't you going to Paris for the European premiere in a few days? I chose that time slot; it's full of young models."

Nicholson, ignoring Martin's rebuttal, said, "You didn't even tell me beforehand? You bastard, you think I'm the boss? Fine, this time I'm just responsible for bringing the gun!"

Martin readily admitted, "I paid for the party that Leo arranged."

Leonardo put his arm around Martin's shoulder: "That's what a good brother should be like."

Martin asked curiously, "Who did you invite this time?"

"Don't get your hopes up too high," Leonardo warned. "They're mostly second-tier models and actors from Russia and Ukraine. There are only a handful of supermodels, and you know them."

Most of the Russian supermodels have walked the Victoria's Secret runway, and Martin not only knows them but also has a fairly close relationship with them.

Bruce came out of the lounge and said to Martin and the other two, "Get ready to go in."

The three bastards finished their idle chatter and returned to the lounge.

The guests attending the premiere were the first to enter the venue.

Nolan and Emma Thomas, along with Martin and other key members of the creative team, then entered the theater.

After the routine Q&A session with the media and fans, the crew members took their seats in the first row.

Martin sat next to Nolan, with Emma Thomas on Nolan's other side, followed by Menez and Tom Hardy.

The latter frequently glanced at Martin.

With Brad Pitt's testimony, Harvey Weinstein faces an additional criminal charge that has spiraled out of control, and the so-called truth behind the film crew shooting has emerged.

Tom Hardy directed most of his resentment at Martin, feeling that he had been unfairly blamed for Martin's actions.

But he knew the two were worlds apart in status, so he could only suppress his resentment.

(End of this chapter)