America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 770 There are advantages to being fast.

Arriving at Nicholson's mansion, Martin had just turned the corner when he suddenly sensed danger. He pushed off the ground with his feet and lurched forward a considerable distance.

When he turned his head, he heard a strange sound.

"Sizzle! Sizzle..."

Several jets of water flew over, but missed Martin and landed on the marble floor.

Leonardo emerged from his hiding place, carrying a large water gun in both hands, pointing it at Martin: "You bastard, I'm going to settle this score with you and show you what it feels like to get sprayed in the face!"

Martin stepped back, standing near an oil painting, and said, "Come on, Leo, let me see how accurate your marksmanship is!"

Just as Leonardo was about to turn his gun, Nicholson, who had been watching the commotion, jumped out and shouted, "Stop! Stop right now! You two bastards, stop right there!"

Martin stood beside the painting: "Go on, Leo."

Before Leonardo could reply, Nicholson ran over and snatched the water gun from him: "If you dare get my painting wet, I'll marry Lorraine to you!"

Leonardo quickly put down the water gun.

Martin demanded, "Is this how you welcome me back to Los Angeles?"

Leonardo strode inside, giving Martin two middle fingers as he did so: "What the hell have you been doing in Boston, you bastard?"

Martin sat on the armchair, looking completely innocent. "What have I been doing? I've been filming a new movie."

Nicholson brought over the wine and glasses, poured drinks for the two of them, and said, "Leo's favorite."

Martin understood: "I ran into Giselle and we chatted for a bit."

"Giselle called me," Leonardo said, patting the back of Martin's sofa and sitting down on the other side. "Then she asked me what I like to say when I'm drunk!"

Martin said earnestly, "Leo, don't you feel my good intentions? I'm helping you find your true love! You should thank me!"

Leonardo was used to this shameless attitude: "I will definitely thank you properly and tell other people that you want to form an army of beauties to take over the White House and flatten Washington."

Martin didn't care and said, "It's politically correct, don't you understand?"

Nicholson, the opportunist, who was just with Leonardo, has now switched sides to Martin's, saying, "Martin is indeed a loyal friend, helping his good brother find his true love."

Martin nodded to him: "Jack really understands my good intentions."

Leonardo DiCaprio said, "What I lack isn't women, it's time to spend with women."

"That's not right!" Martin said, suppressing a laugh. "It's only about 20 seconds in total. You don't even have that much time, do you?"

Nicholson burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost couldn't stand up straight.

Leonardo's skin was already thickened from years of experience, and he said, "So what if it's 20 seconds? There are advantages to being fast, you two idiots just don't understand."

Martin and Nicholson looked at Leonardo with disdain in their eyes.

Leonardo retorted, "What are we after when we pick up girls, huh?"

He didn't need anyone to answer, and said directly, "Of course it's for my own pleasure! I had my pleasure for 20 seconds, that's enough, who cares if others have pleasure or not!"

Nicholson then changed his tune: "That seems to make sense!"

"What do you mean 'seems to make sense'? This is the truth!" Leonardo declared confidently. "The advantages of a shorter duration are numerous: it doesn't consume physical strength or energy, it doesn't cause excessive wear and tear on the lumbar spine, it doesn't interfere with normal work and life, and it doesn't cause skin abrasions in sensitive areas..."

Martin was unable to refute it.

Leonardo, having prepared his defense, immediately launched a counterattack: "And look at you, spending half an hour at a time, working yourself to the bone for just a few seconds? Often one-on-two, one-on-three, or even more, working half the night, what's the difference between your result and mine?"

He pointed at Martin and retorted sarcastically, "You're young now, so you don't feel it yet. But when you're my age, your back will be ruined, your kidneys will be weak, and you'll be listless. Then you'll know how serious the long-term consequences are!"

"That was fucking terrifying!" Martin exclaimed, looking utterly terrified. "I almost ended up like you, a 24-second 100-meter sprinter!"

Leonardo patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Do you understand what to do from now on?"

Martin said, "I'd like to learn from you, but my abilities don't allow it." He looked at Nicholson: "If Jack weren't here, I would have believed your nonsense."

Nicholson grinned at Leonardo, revealing two rows of chilling white teeth.

Martin pointed at Nicholson and said, "Jack was way more adventurous than me when he was young, and look what happened? Now Jack is 75 and he can still get Jennifer Lawrence to call him 'Dad'."

Nicholson raised his chin: "I've never missed one of our group activities."

Martin coughed lightly: "On the other hand, several famous Hollywood 100-meter sprinters who were too fast are not so good after the age of forty."

He deliberately counted on his fingers: "Leo, you'll be forty soon. I've heard that people's energy levels drop drastically after forty. Running 100 meters in 10 seconds isn't scary, but don't let it get to that point..."

"Enough! Shut up." Leonardo quickly changed the subject: "That project you mentioned on the phone, are you planning to take it?"

Martin said, "I've already sent someone to make contact."

Nicholson chimed in, "I heard Leo mention it a bit, and I've read the original novel back then. Twenty-four personalities—it's not easy to portray. Your acting is passable, but if the director isn't chosen well, it's easy for it to fall apart."

Leonardo DiCaprio also said, "It would be difficult for most directors to handle this kind of subject matter."

Martin said, "I have an appointment with David Fincher this afternoon to talk to him and see if he's interested."

Nicholson nodded: "David Fincher's style is very suitable for this kind of subject matter."

Leonardo advised, "If you've set your sights on something, act fast. You're not short of money right now, so don't haggle over a few hundred thousand dollars. There are a lot of people in the industry watching you."

"I'll make sure things are done quickly," Martin said. "Those projects that were snatched away all failed, and those who were eyeing me will hesitate a little longer before trying to grab them again."

Thomas and Jessica were indeed quick; they found Billy Milligan himself at a nursing home this morning.

Billy Milligan is suffering from cancer and desperately needs money.

He spent the most important period of his life in a mental hospital and had no medical insurance. "The Minds of Billy Milligan" was not a best-selling hit. Although the ghostwriter did not have the copyright, he could share the royalties. The income from the two non-fiction biographies was only enough for him to barely make ends meet.

As for raising funds to adapt the film, Billy Milligan has long since given up on that idea.

A few years ago, the hiring of a domestic helper generated a lot of hype, but the money was spent and the copyright was not sold, even though many Hollywood movies have borrowed from his story.

In the hospital room, the emaciated Billy Milligan looked listless, showing no signs of schizophrenia. His cloudy eyes looked at Thomas and Jessica, and he asked, "You mean, Hollywood star Martin Davis wants to buy the film and television adaptation rights to my two biographies?"

Jessica continued, "I'm the Vice President of Davis Studios, here on behalf of Martin. Davis Studios is interested in adapting your biography and life story into a film or television series and wants to purchase the exclusive license."

Billy Milligan knew he didn't have much time left, so he wiped his eyes and said, "I wanted to adapt this into a movie myself, but unfortunately, I won't have the chance."

He asked, "Is Martin Davis starring in this film?"

Thomas understood and said, "Yes, Martin will star in a role based on you."

Billy Milligan had actually set out his terms years ago, and without further ado, he said, "$150 million, two autobiographies, and the exclusive license to you for the screenplay of 'The Crowded Room'."

Thomas and Jessica had been instructed by Martin to act quickly and decisively, as long as the price wasn't outrageous, and not to drag things out.

They exchanged a glance, and Jessica replied, "Sure. Mr. Milligan, do you have a lawyer or agent?"

"I have a lawyer." Billy Milligan picked up the landline next to him, dialed his lawyer's number, and said, "Please wait a moment, the lawyer will be here in an hour."

When the lawyers arrived, the two sides conducted more detailed negotiations, and by the afternoon, a copyright agreement had been drafted.

…………

At 3 p.m., Martin entered the Disney studio and was on his way to the Argo studio when he received a call from Thomas, who said the copyright issue was basically settled.

Surrounded by hungry wolves, Martin didn't care about spending hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars more.

The best course of action is to act swiftly and secure the copyright before attracting the attention of other companies.

Upon arriving at the studio's foyer, Thomas's assistant was already waiting there with the script for "The Crowded Room".

Martin took the script and went to the director's office.

David Fincher was waiting there when Martin came in and said, "You've come at the right time; I have something to discuss with you."

Martin, sitting on the sofa, asked, "Is the film finished?"

David Fincher shook his head: "There's one last major edit, and the final cut should be finished by the end of August."

He said, "I plan to premiere the film at the Toronto International Film Festival to generate buzz, and then release it on a wider scale in North America."

Martin agreed: "I will have someone communicate with Disney Studios."

Since moving into post-production last October, eight months have passed and the film's post-production is still not complete. David Fincher is striving for perfection in his final attempt to win an Oscar for Best Director.

After discussing Argo for a while, Martin changed the subject to the new project.

"During my recent trip to Boston to film my new movie, I stumbled upon a biography, Billy Milligan's *The Minds of Billy Milligan*." He elaborated on the details: "I've basically secured the sole license. David, are you interested?"

Martin placed two biographies and a screenplay in front of David Fincher: "The screenplay 'Crowded Room' was adapted by Billy Milligan and can only be used as a reference."

David Fincher picked up the book and said with a smile, "I learned about Billy in detail back in 1996."

(End of this chapter)