America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 726 A Swift and Decisive Approach

Martin had a fairly strong impression of the film "Sicario" because it was indeed very unique.

It features not only Thanos and werewolves, but also, most importantly, the female protagonist.

Emily Blunt's character appears to be the main character when she first appears, but she ends up playing a minor role throughout the film, and by the middle of the movie, the main character has been completely replaced by someone else.

This female character doesn't even play a role in advancing the plot.

Perhaps it can be described as using a female perspective to expose the dark world of the US-Mexico border to the audience.

Martin carefully put away the script and business card, then recalled the events in detail.

He wasn't sure how well the film did at the box office, but he remembered one thing: a sequel to "Sicario" was made.

Hollywood investors, including him, would never invest in a second film if it didn't make money.

This is the best proof of its commercial value.

Martin dialed Denis Villeneuve's number directly, and when the call connected, he said, "This is Martin Davis. We met last night."

In his seaside detached house in Santa Monica, Villeneuve quickly slipped out from a group of women.

He pushed aside an arm, kicked off a leg, and pushed away the mountain pressing down on his head, finally struggling to his feet from the forest of flesh. He quickly said, "Excuse me, Mr. Davis, please wait a moment."

Several women's hands reached out and grabbed at him randomly.

Villeneuve, protecting his vitals, left the area and went to the window, saying, "Mr. Davis, have you read the script?"

Martin said, "What about the rest of the script? Is it with you? If you have time today, you can come to my studio in Burbank."

Villeneuve, the up-and-coming director, seemed to see the most crucial door to the top of Hollywood opened on the ladder, and said, "I'll be there right away, in two hours at most... no, one hour!"

"I'll wait for you." The other end of the phone hung up.

Villeneuve glanced at the number on his phone, quickly saved it, and then yelled it out.

From among the women, someone shouted, "Dennis, are you crazy? Let me sleep a little longer!"

Villeneuve leaped over in two strides, shouting, "Taylor Sheridan, get up! Get up now!"

He pulled people out of the group of women.

The women, having drunk too much at last night's wild party and engaged in excessive exercise, were still dazed and didn't want to wake up. Taylor Sheridan, enveloped in the atmosphere, also closed her eyes again.

Villeneuve was furious. He went to the bathroom, filled a basin with water, and splashed it down.

A gasp erupted in the room as five naked women and a man scrambled to their feet amidst words beginning with the letter F.

When Taylor Sheridan saw the basin of water in Villeneuve's hand, he wanted to come over and settle the score with him.

Other women were also calling him crazy.

Villeneuve stopped Sheridan with just one sentence: "A company has read your script and wants to see the rest. Let's go there immediately."

Sheridan stopped, his anger turning to the group of women: "Get out of here, get out of here, the party's over."

"Fuck you!" Several Western women gave him the middle finger.

Sheridan found his trousers, pulled out his wallet, took out a wad of cash, and stuffed it into the hand of the leading woman: "This is all I have."

The woman took the money and waved, "Sisters, let's go."

After the women left, Sheridan, while pulling up his trousers, asked, "Which company? Who called you?"

"Martin Davis! The superstar, producer, and investor who just won Best Actor last night!" Villeneuve said simply, "I ran into him at the Oscars party and gave him a copy. You've been rejected so many times, what's one more? I didn't expect Martin to respond."

He hurriedly put on his pants: "Hurry, hurry, I promised Martin I'd be at Davis's studio in an hour."

Sheridan quickly got dressed, saying as he did so, "I haven't even finished the script yet, and you're already submitting it everywhere. You've been rejected so many times, and you still won't give up."

Villeneuve, however, used himself as an example: "I got the script for Incendies back in 03. How long did it take to make it into a movie and release it? How many eight-year periods do we have in our lives? We must seize the time and grasp the opportunities."

These words struck a chord with Sheridan.

He had been an actor in Hollywood for over a decade, always playing marginal roles, and his acting career hadn't made much progress. So, starting two years ago, he simply changed course and began trying to write his own scripts.

By chance, Sheridan met Villeneuve, and they hit it off immediately, deciding to collaborate on the project.

The two men each picked up a briefcase, went out, got in their car, and headed straight for Burbank.

More than half an hour later, Sheridan and Villeneuve appeared in Martin's office.

Martin had already had someone look up information on screenwriter Sheridan.

Taylor Sheridan was an actress before, with her earliest work dating back to 1996. Her most famous roles were in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Miss Detective," where she played minor, marginal supporting characters.

Villeneuve introduced both sides.

Martin didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "What about the rest of the script?"

Taylor-Sheridan opened the file bag, placed a stack of bound printouts on Martin's desk, and said, "This is just a first draft; it hasn't been finalized yet."

Martin said, "Please have a seat, I'll take a look."

Taylor Sheridan knew very well that after more than a decade of stagnation in the industry, today was crucial for him to switch tracks and make a name for himself. After sitting down, he frequently looked at Villeneuve.

The latter had experienced the grand occasion of being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Although he hadn't been in the industry as long as Sheridan, he was much more composed and gave him a patient look.

In fact, Villeneuve was also very anxious, as it concerned his future.

Martin quickly flipped through the script. Although he couldn't quite remember the specific scenes from the film, the main plot was basically the same.

A dozen minutes later, he flipped directly to the ending, quickly skimmed through it, and looked at Sheridan and Villeneuve: "The script is interesting. Would you be willing to work with Davis Studios?"

Sheridan and Villeneuve had applied to many companies before, but they either didn't get a reply or were rejected.

"Mr. Davis, are you planning to make it into a movie?" Sheridan had been in the industry for many years and knew that many companies would see a good script, pay for the rights, and then leave it in the script library for many years without ever making a film.

Sheridan would absolutely not work with Davis Studio if they did the same.

Martin Davis can afford to wait, but a nobody like him can't.

Villeneuve glanced at Sheridan, thinking to himself, "Have you forgotten what we agreed on?"

Sheridan pointed at him and added, "Dennis gave me a lot of advice when I was writing the script; he's the best fit to be a director."

Martin said, "I just saw Incendiary, it's very distinctive, a very good movie."

Villeneuve said, "Thank you."

Martin said, "Have your agents come over so we can discuss the specifics of the collaboration."

Even if a film of this type is made very well, it is difficult for it to achieve a commercial success.

Villeneuve didn't want to go through the long, agonizing eight years of filming the previous movie, "Incendies," so he kicked Sheridan.

Sheridan wasn't hesitating; rather, he lacked confidence when facing someone like Martin, a top figure in the industry.

He quickly added, "I'm willing to work with Davis Studios, but there's one thing I need to clarify beforehand: the script is currently only a first draft, and I still need to refine it. I can't start filming immediately; it might take a few months... or even longer."

Martin was not surprised: "These are not problems."

Sheridan breathed a sigh of relief, took out his phone, and went outside to call his agent.

The same applies to Villeneuve.

When Davis Studios offered them such a great opportunity, they quickly seized it, knowing they might miss out on another chance.

Martin then discussed the script with Sheridan and Villeneuve, discovering that the film would not be ready for production until at least the second half of the year or even longer.

Sheridan's agent arrived first and went to discuss the matter with Jessica.

Martin called out to Villeneuve, remembering something: he and Graham King had been looking for the right director to helm the "Prince of Thieves" project.

He asked directly, "Dennis, besides preparing to direct this project, do you have any other work?"

Villeneuve, a smart man, said, "Not yet." He smiled helplessly, "Although 'Incendies' received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, my situation hasn't improved significantly, and I haven't received any offers yet."

Martin pulled out the script for "Prince of Thieves": "I have a project here, about a group of bank robbers, here's the script."

Villeneuve took the script, looked at it carefully, and said, "This is based on a novel, right? I've read the original novel."

Martin briefly explained, "That's right, it's based on Chuck Hogan's novel of the same name. The project is already in pre-production, and the producers are Graham King and Louise Mayer."

Villeneuve looked through the documents for a while, then looked up at Martin: "Can I direct this project?"

"I can only guarantee you an interview opportunity." Martin knew he wasn't as professional as Graham and Louise in this area: "You'll need to be interviewed by two producers."

Villeneuve considered the progress of Sheridan's script and said, "I'd like to give it a try."

Martin sent a message to Graham and Louise respectively, and gave Villeneuve their contact information: "The studio for this project is at Disney Studios. Schedule an interview with the two producers."

Villeneuve quickly put away the note: "I'll call them right away."

Both Graham King and Louise Meyer are top-tier producers in the industry, the kind of collaborators that smaller directors like them dream of working with.

Soon after, Villeneuve's agent arrived at Davis's studio.

The negotiations proceeded very quickly. Fearing a repeat of the Megan Ellison scenario, Martin acted decisively, buying out Sheridan's script for $10.

The script was officially titled "Sicario".

(End of this chapter)