America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 733 Martin the Dancer

Angels Club, shooting range.

Standing in front of the shooting platform, Martin held an AKM, aimed at the rapidly moving target, and rhythmically pulled the trigger. With a crisp gunshot, the metal targets fell one after another.

After emptying one magazine, Martin quickly replaced it with a new one and continued firing.

He didn't stop until he had fired three magazines.

Martin took off his earplugs, turned around, and asked, "How were the results?"

"All hits!" Menez, acting as the observer, exclaimed.

Martin handed the gun to Bruce, stretched his shoulders, and said, "This gun is awesome."

Alexandrovic, on the other side, leaned over and, mimicking Menez's tone, said, "Boss, your shooting skills are amazing."

Martin frankly admitted, "I was forced into it."

Alexandrovich had also fired a few shots: "I just can't handle the recoil."

Martin asked, "The AK-74, which is commonly used in Ukraine?"

Alexandrovich said, "There are more AK-74 series, but I don't know the specifics, I've never been a soldier."

On the other side, Menez was a little curious; it seemed that the boss had a special interest in this short Ukrainian.

He quietly asked Bruce, "What happened?"

Bruce didn't really understand either, but when he heard Menez's question, the face of Alexandrovich's fiancée suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Surely they weren't drawn to Alexandrovich's talent? Their film "Napoleon's Beauty" did well at the box office, but its core audience was too small.

Martin glanced at the time and asked, "How did the DVD signing go yesterday?"

Alexandrovich said with a smile, "More than a hundred fans came to support me. They were all very enthusiastic. Many people said that I portrayed the most charming Napoleon in film history."

"You guys did a great job on this film." Martin patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Make 'Servant of the People' a classic, keep it up!"

Alexandrovich vowed, "I will dedicate my entire life to this."

Cheap comedies tend to have short lifespans. "Napoleon's Beauty" was released before Valentine's Day and only stayed in North American theaters for five weeks before being taken off the screens.

However, it grossed $1985 million in North America, nearly four times its production cost.

The film has also grossed $1456 million at overseas box office.

There is no doubt that this cheesy comedy made a profit solely through box office revenue.

The DVD, which was released this week, has sold nearly $300 million so far, which is not bad.

"Napoleon's Beauty" will be released in more overseas regions.

Alexandrovich came to see Martin today to say goodbye and return to Ukraine to premiere the film and begin filming "Servant of the People" in Kyiv.

Alexandrovic didn't stay long and soon left the Angels Club.

Martin and Menez waited until Chad, Chen Hu, and Marcus arrived, then went to the training hall on the other side of the shooting range to discuss the latest action scene design.

In "John Wick 3", Menez, who is the main supporting character, will also personally take to the battlefield.

"This is also preparation for a series," Chad said to Menne, showing great foresight. "Through the film, you have further demonstrated Winston's charm and ability, laying the groundwork for the next expansion of the series."

Menez took the towel, wiped the sweat from his face, and said, "You've really thought this far ahead."

Compared to typical directors, Chad, who came from an action choreography background, didn't have such grand artistic ambitions. He bluntly stated, "With Martin's support, I plan to live off this series for the rest of my life."

His first two films have already made him a multi-millionaire as a director, screenwriter, and action choreographer.

Chad knew he wasn't the kind of person who was particularly talented. His success with the John Wick series was less due to exceptional talent and more due to years of hard work and dedication.

He worked as a stuntman and action director for nearly 20 years before this breakthrough came.

Chad felt he would most likely flop if he left the series to direct other films.

Martin asked Chad, "Have you decided to make Winston the protagonist of the expansion series?"

"I did market research, and Menezes has a certain appeal to the audience, and the character Winston is also quite popular." Chad didn't just imagine it out of thin air, but did thorough preparation beforehand: "In addition, fans of the series are particularly interested in the Continental Hotel setting, and I plan to develop the films around the Continental Hotel in New York."

Martin nodded: "Okay, you can start preparing for the specific script and action design once the third film is fully designed."

Unlike Winston in his previous life, Menez, in his thirties, was in a stage of high energy and good physical condition. Having followed Martin for many years, he had filmed a lot of action scenes and had a considerable foundation.

Having a Black actor as the main character aligns with the trend in the film and television market for the next few years.

Before noon, Martin left the Angels Shooting Club and arrived in Burbank.

Alan Horn invited him to lunch.

The two went into an Italian restaurant and chatted while eating.

Alan Horn said, "When we last finalized our collaboration on the live-action fairy tale film 'Beauty and the Beast,' Disney Studios hired a screenwriter and was ready to begin writing the script."

He asked Martin, "I remember your last suggestion was a musical?"

Martin put down his cup: "This is the kind of thing Disney does best, adding grand song and dance numbers to fairy tale movies."

To achieve the desired effect in a film like this, don't even think about it without an investment of over $1 million. Disney will definitely need to raise funds externally. Alan Horn, now full of confidence in Martin, reiterated: "The production budget for this project cannot be less than $1.5 million, and Disney hopes to raise $5000 million externally."

Martin said, "I am also willing to strengthen our cooperation with Disney; funding is not an issue."

Alan Horn thought for a moment and then said, "A film like this, from scriptwriting to project preparation, may take a year. The design of the musical numbers is a challenge."

Martin, who is currently working on "La La Land," has a deep understanding of this: "I did some research on this project before. There have been related musicals running on Broadway for years, and we can learn from their strengths."

Alan Horn said, "Great idea."

As for copyright issues, Disney has never been afraid. If the other party raises any questions, they can simply say that it is an innovation based on past animated films.

Di Baobao's legal department is world-renowned.

After Martin and Alan Horn finalized the general direction, Emily, representing Davis Studios, made formal contact with Disney to discuss specific investment and cooperation for "Beauty and the Beast" after lunch.

In the afternoon, Martin arrived at the La La Land studio on time and practiced playing the piano under Sebastian's instruction.

As he played, his technique became more and more proficient.

During this time, Taylor visited the set and said that his piano playing lacked soul.

Martin agrees with the professional's opinion, after all, his skill level isn't even considered very good among amateurs.

The purpose of practicing is not to become a musician, but to cope with filming.

When Martin finished practicing the piano and came out, he noticed that the door to the dance studio on the same floor was open. He glanced at it as he passed by.

Louise was inside with a very tall, blond-haired woman.

"Hi, Martin." She saw Martin too. "Let me introduce you to someone."

Martin strode inside, and before Louise could introduce him, the blond woman automatically came forward and shook his hand: "Hello, Martin, I'm Mandy Moore, an actress, singer, and choreographer."

Then, she casually showed off the badge on her collar: "Also a fan of yours and a member of the Cola Cult."

Martin smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Louise came over to introduce: "Mandy just signed a contract with the production team and will serve as the choreography director, specifically responsible for the dance design and rehearsal in the film."

Martin said, "This is somewhat unexpected. I thought choreographers were all middle-aged or older; I didn't expect you to be so young."

Mandy Moore is very tall, estimated to be nearly 1.8 meters, and definitely no more than thirty years old.

"Disney Studios introduced me to this company." Mandy Moore smiled and quickly listed her professional background: "I voiced Rapunzel in Disney's animated feature film 'Tangled,' and I also designed all the songs and dances."

She wanted to prove her abilities: "I have also released six music albums, and I led the design of all the dance sequences."

Martin praised, "A remarkable achievement. I believe we will work together to create a classic musical film."

Mandy Moore had heard from Louise that La La Land also had an awards season in mind, which was very appealing to her. She got straight to the point: "In addition to choreography, the film's dance also requires the actors to spend a lot of time practicing. I hope to finalize the main roles as soon as possible."

Louise picked up the conversation: "The dancers will all be in place when the choreography is finished."

Mandy Moore said no more and discussed some matters concerning the male lead with Martin, especially the dance.

Martin said, "I have specialized training in dance. Although I haven't touched it much in recent years, I have practiced various forms of combat sports for many years, so flexibility is not an issue for me."

Louise suddenly remembered the movie Martin made in Atlanta and interjected, "Mandy, you can watch Martin's theatrical debut, 'Zombie Dancer,' in which Martin has many dance scenes."

Mandy also remembered and said, "Zombie machine gun dance? I remember it was all the rage five or six years ago. Oh right, this dance originated from Martin's movie."

She exclaimed, "Martin, you were once a dance king too."

Martin shrugged: "I never expected that dance would become so popular."

"If you have a dance background and good flexibility, it will save you a lot of trouble in dance rehearsals." Mandy took out a notebook, quickly wrote it down, and said, "My suggestion is that the female lead should also be an actress with a dance background, and according to the script, she should be younger than you."

Louise said, "These are easy to find; there are many actresses in the industry who have trained in dance."

Martin has someone in mind and plans to discuss it with Louise privately later.

(End of this chapter)