America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 602 Er Mao the Comedian

"As I mentioned in the car, there was a Citroën following us." Martin continued, following the same line of thought: "If there's a swallow in the car who wants to use the party to get close to the three of us, she'll make sure the party goes smoothly, so she'll tell the people behind to take care of Tom Hardy."

Bruce nodded: "That's very likely."

Martin then asked a crucial question: "Who is the swallow's target?"

"Nicholson can be ruled out first; he's semi-retired and has almost no involvement in politics." Bruce glanced at Martin. "Leo is also unlikely; although he advocates for environmental protection, he rarely gets directly involved in politics..."

Martin, quite astutely aware of the situation, said, "In that case, I'm the most likely candidate." He recalled the previous night, finding nothing unusual. "Natalia, Sasha-Ruth, Marina, and Svetlana—who could it be?"

Bruce added, "Leonardo mentioned organizing this party late last year."

Martin nodded: "He had already spoken to Natalia back then, so the news probably got out quite early."

Bruce said, "With Big Mao's abilities, making some preparations shouldn't be difficult."

Martin disliked being watched, and said, "I'm going to drag this swallow out and torture her with seventy-two different kinds of cruelty!"

Afterwards, the two inquired about the latest developments.

The film crew reported the incident to the police, and the Paris police have officially accepted the case. Tom Hardy remains missing, and no one knows where they went.

Martin and Bruce remained silent.

They got in the car yesterday and spent the whole time drinking, chatting, and having fun, without paying any attention to what was behind them.

With limited manpower in Paris, the crew couldn't do much. Nolan and Emma Thomas, worried about other accidents, issued a curfew, prohibiting crew members from leaving the premises. If they needed to leave for an emergency, they had to inform him or Emma Thomas in advance.

At dinner, Martin sat at a table with Nolan and Emma Thomas.

"We'll have to postpone things in Madrid," Emma Thomas said. "I've spoken with them, and although it wasn't a pleasant conversation, they've expressed their understanding."

She cautioned, "We can only postpone it by one day. If there's still no news by tomorrow, we must leave in the afternoon. If the evening event is canceled again, it will negatively impact the film, and the production team will also face the risk of breaching their contract."

Nolan couldn't eat at all and said, "No matter what, we'll head to Madrid after lunch tomorrow. Leave your assistant here to assist Tom Hardy's agent."

Emma Thomas nodded: "That's the only way."

Nolan asked Martin, "I just heard from your phone that someone is looking for you. If you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it. Just remember to come back tomorrow morning."

"It's nothing, Leonardo called about the party we had last night, don't worry about him." Martin was very careful about these things, wanting to maintain Nolan's authority, and said, "Right now I should be with the crew."

Nolan thought to himself that Martin was a good actor, and couldn't help but say, "If Tom Hardy could learn even a tiny bit from you, he wouldn't have so many accidents."

At this point, Nolan recalled what happened to Tom Hardy during the Los Angeles shooting: "A shooting occurred while filming on the streets of Los Angeles. If he had just let Brooks take a second look, he could have avoided the risk, but he insisted on being a megalomaniac, and this happened again..."

Emma Thomas kicked Nolan under the table, signaling him not to talk nonsense in public.

But Nolan had had enough and said, "Emma, ​​from this moment on, Tom Hardy is officially on my blacklist of collaborators. He is not allowed to be used in any of my projects or in any role from now on."

Emma Thomas replied, "I understand."

Martin didn't say much. After finishing their meal, he and Nolan left the restaurant. As they passed through the hotel lobby, a short man suddenly appeared nearby.

Bruce stepped forward and blocked the man.

The short man called out in English with an Eastern European accent, "Martin, Martin, I'm an actor, Vladimir Alexandrovich from Ukraine. Could I have a chance to talk?"

Martin saw the short man's face and, thinking about what had happened last night, said to Nolan, "I ran into a friend. I'll chat with him for a while."

Nolan nodded and left.

Martin walked through the hall and into a coffee shop on the side, followed by Bruce with Alexandrovich.

Alexandrovich, having failed to get through to Natalia, found out where the Inception crew was and went directly to them.

He specifically asked around and found out that Martin has an independent film production studio and can attract investment to shoot and produce projects.

As soon as he sat down, Alexandrovich eagerly pulled the script out of his briefcase, placed it respectfully in front of Martin, and said, "This is a film that I'm planning with a director and screenwriter friend. We're going to make a comedy about Napoleon."

Martin glanced at him. This short Jewish man wasn't very famous yet, and probably hadn't played a role like president.

Alexandrovich flashed his brightest smile: "This is absolutely a very creative project..."

Martin raised his hand to stop him from praising himself, and said, "Let me take a look at the script first."

Alexandrovich immediately shut his mouth, even softening his breathing, for fear of disturbing Martin.

Martin quickly skimmed through it. The script was in English, and the film was titled "Razewski vs. Napoleon," which were the names of the two main characters.

The main plot is about how, after the philandering Napoleon invaded Russia, Russian Lieutenant Lazevsky disguised himself as a woman to seduce Napoleon for a special mission, and Napoleon ended up falling in love with "her".

This also involves Leo Tolstoy...

Martin read about half of it, then flipped to the end and closed the script a moment later.

Alexandrovich quickly asked, "Is the script alright?"

Martin thought for a moment, then simply asked, "Are you going to make a Russian-language film?"

"That was the initial plan," Alexandrovich said, a very shrewd and flexible person. "If we could get Hollywood funding, we would definitely make an English version."

Martin, drawing on his experience over the years, said, "There are many problems with the background settings when filming the English version. American audiences may be interested in Napoleon, but they are not interested in Russia mocking Napoleon. To be precise, most American audiences are not interested in what happened to the Russians."

Alexandrovich couldn't understand: "If it doesn't take place in Russia, the entire script and story setting are completely useless."

Martin said, "American audiences are interested in British stories, so you could change the background and make it a story about the British and Napoleon."

This meant the script needed major revisions, and Alexandrovich hesitated.

Martin couldn't possibly invest in a story about Russians and Russians, even with Wu Maoting as his financial backer; he still had to consider the return on investment.

If the film is shot according to the script, its main market will be in Russia and the former Soviet Union region. Even if it generates profits, there is no guarantee that the profits will be realized.

Martin didn't want to go there and fight a lawsuit. There was a high chance a swallow flew over last night. He'd be a fool to invest in a project there.

To appeal to American audiences, the messy history between Britain and France is more attractive.

Alexandrovich asked again, "Is it really necessary to make changes?"

Martin stated bluntly, "If you want my studio to invest and if you want the film to be released in North America, you'd better make some changes."

Alexandrovich was tempted by the idea of ​​the film being released in the United States, but since the script wasn't his and involved two other people, he said, "I still need to discuss it with the screenwriter and director; one person can't make a decision alone."

He pleaded, "Could you leave me your contact information? I'd like to get in touch with you if they agree to the changes."

Martin nodded, and Bruce gave him the contact information for the studio.

"Thank you." Alexandrovich carefully put it away.

Martin stood up and shook his hand: "I hope to see you in Los Angeles. I have high hopes for you and this comedy."

Alexandrovich said, "I tried my best."

Martin nodded to him and left the coffee shop with Bruce.

Alexandrovich put away the script and strode out, making a phone call to book a plane ticket as he went. He needed to get back as soon as possible to persuade his two collaborators.

America is the place he longs for most!

Meanwhile, Martin went straight back to his room, receiving a call from Leonardo on the way.

This bastard told him that he and Nicholson had chartered a yacht to sail from Monaco, taking seventeen or eight Russian girls on a Mediterranean vacation.

Martin was envious and jealous, but he couldn't go with them because he still had a long promotional schedule for "Inception" to complete.

This overseas promotional trip started in Western Europe, passed through Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia, then flew from West Asia and South Africa to Latin America, and then headed north back to Los Angeles.

This expense is included in the high salaries of movie stars. Although Martin is a bit of a jerk, he never shirks his responsibilities.

Back in his room, Bruce asked, "That Russian...no, Ukrainian comedian, is there something special about him?"

"He's a little bit special; maybe he could become our way to make money in the future," Martin said vaguely, then added, "If he contacts you and asks you to bring him to Los Angeles, this guy has a real talent for comedy."

Bruce nodded slightly: "I understand."

In the past two days, first came the pretty girl from Da Mao's family, and then came the comedian from Er Mao's family. Martin suddenly felt that he might have a special connection with that side of the family.

Should we catch that possible swallow?

A beautiful Russian woman tempted an American national hero, but the hero remained steadfast and unmoved. With a spirit of selfless sacrifice, he tested the Russian woman's strength and, at a cost of billions, finally captured the spy!

Looking back, Martin felt that this experience could be adapted into a movie, and a very politically correct one at that!

The following morning, the film crew was notified by the Paris police that they had found the missing Tom Hardy.

(End of this chapter)