America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 824 Me and My Super-Big Dad

There was a small round table under the parasol next to him. Martin took out his phone and walked over quickly. Before sitting down, he habitually glanced at the chair to make sure it was okay before sitting down at the table.

There's no way around it; messing with too many people has left lasting consequences.

When I see a similar scene, I always instinctively take precautions.

Bruce, sitting across from him, said, "Jody just reminded me that his Twitter username is Martin's Son."

"Did Hart and his gang mess with me?" Martin thought of the former sons of the Beast House Club.

Bruce shrugged. "You should see for yourself."

Martin logged onto Twitter and searched for "Martin's son," which brought up an account.

The account's profile picture was a photo. When Martin clicked on it, he found that it was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy whose facial features and appearance were somewhat similar to his own.

He bears a much higher resemblance to Jason Statham than Guo Jingming.

Of course, aside from skin color.

Because although the boy wasn't very dark-skinned, he was definitely Black.

The boy was clearly imitating him, from his clothing and appearance to his role in the film.

Martin checked the Twitter posts and found mostly street photos, pictures of himself posing with people, signing autographs for other fans, and photos in front of the Margaret Mitchell Memorial Museum.

This person seems to be from Georgia.

In the photos Martin posted on Twitter, he saw iconic Georgia landmarks such as Peachtree Street and the Margaret Memorial.

There are even photos taken with his wax figure inside Madame Tussauds.

The caption for this photo is: "Me and my superstar dad".

Not only this one, but also several other tweets mentioned Martin and the word "Dad".

It looks like a teenager's imitation show and self-entertainment.

Martin glanced at the number of followers and was surprised to find that it had exceeded 200,000.

By today's standards, this could be considered a minor internet celebrity.

Bruce asked deliberately, "This isn't your illegitimate child, is it?"

"How could that be!" Martin said casually. "I was born in 1981. This young man looks no more than sixteen years old."

Bruce asked, "How many girlfriends did you have when you were 15? Were you still a virgin?"

Martin thought for a moment: "It seems... that's not the case, is it?"

Bruce said, "It's simple, it might really be your son."

Martin immediately gave him the middle finger: "Are you kidding me? I've never slept with a black woman."

"Don't tell anyone else about this." Bruce thought of someone: "Remember that woman from when we were dealing with Harvey Weinstein? Because there weren't any Black people on Harvey's victim list, she accused Harvey of discriminating against Black people."

Martin said, "I think her name is Megan. We were the ones who came up with this terrible idea."

Bruce cautioned, "Be careful someone doesn't use this tactic against you."

Martin replied, "Everyone in Hollywood knows that one of my best brothers is named Menez."

"How should we handle this?" Bruce pointed to Martin's phone. "He's clearly trying to become an influencer, and this is already affecting you."

Martin has always been quite tolerant of his fans. During his rise to fame, he also took advantage of trending topics countless times. He said, "Have Thomas contact him and tell him to stop posting things like 'father and son'."

Bruce wrote it down: "I'll call Thomas later."

Martin put away his phone: "Let's go, back to the company."

Back at the company, the receptionist came over and said, "Martin, Mr. Bradt is here and is waiting for you in the meeting room upstairs."

"I understand." Martin went upstairs into the reception room.

Brad brought the recently completed script, the one Martin is preparing to work on with Blake Lively for the movie.

The script wasn't thick, so Martin took it and started reading.

The story is relatively simple. The female protagonist's mother has passed away. In order to get rid of depression and sadness, she goes surfing alone to a remote coast. Suddenly, an adult great white shark appears and attacks humans, causing the female protagonist to be trapped on a reef far from the shore. She can only rely on herself to find a way to survive.

Bradett stated frankly, "This is the simplest script I've ever written, with the fewest characters and scenes."

Martin said, "A bear with long legs and a bikini, a beautiful woman outsmarts a great white shark."

Bradley cautioned, "The atmosphere of the film is very important! Since Spielberg's Jaws was a huge success, most other thrillers involving sharks have been terrible; sharks have long been crushed to dust by all sorts of monsters and demons."

After reading the script, Martin pondered and said, "Your script gave me an important hint: we can use a seemingly open background to highlight the heroine's predicament of being trapped in a narrow space."

Bradett's theory on this matter is far more robust than Martin's. He stated in a professional tone: "From the perspective of audience psychology, the idea that the world is so big yet there is nowhere to go is far more suspenseful and dangerous than the vast ocean."

Martin dares to invest and experiment because, on the one hand, he is not short of money and can easily attract investment; on the other hand, he can find many professional talents to work for him.

For example, Bradley considered many things.

Martin could easily find experienced assistant directors and directors of photography as well.

As long as the salary is sufficient, he can use all of these.

The story originated from Martin Scorsese, but the script was almost entirely written by Bradley Scott. He specifically explained, "The core of the story is still the same old Hollywood horror thriller trope: a weak woman and a psychopathic killer, but repackaged with a human and a shark motif. The biggest difference, of course, is that the female protagonist manages to save herself."

Martin said, "Since the female protagonist is the absolute protagonist, and given the current social situation, she doesn't need to be rescued. The female protagonist is not only a survivor, but also a savior."

Bradt, thinking of the burgeoning civil rights movement, said, "It seems you've already considered these things."

Martin said, "With limited skills, we can only try to find solutions in other areas."

Bradt quickly took his leave and departed.

Martin had the script copied and called Blake Lively.

The latter has returned to Los Angeles from New York and is recovering well. As long as he avoids strenuous activity, it will not affect his daily life.

The crew of "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" rented a small studio at Disney Studios, set up a blue screen backdrop, and brought in a lot of sand to film the remaining desert scenes.

Regardless of Martin or Blake Lively, the rest is all dialogue.

The filming of the final scenes was about to begin, and Martin didn't call Blake Lively over, agreeing to meet her during filming.

Bruce then came in from outside and said, "Thomas just called; he's made contact with your son..."

Martin pointed at Old Brooks: "Watch your words, he has nothing to do with me."

"Okay, about your admirer." Bruce pulled out a chair and sat down. "The situation is a bit different from what we thought. It seems he's not just a simple fan or internet celebrity. After Thomas spoke with him, the guy just said he understood and hung up."

Martin wasn't really focused on this: "If he tweets similar things again, contact him again, making sure to record the conversation. If that doesn't work, send a lawyer's letter."

"I understand." Bruce called Thomas again.

Martin then put it aside.

Riding on the coattails of popular celebrities is a common form of publicity and promotion. If it weren't for the fact that the other party had caused such a mess involving his son and father, Martin wouldn't have bothered with him.

The following morning, some members of the "John Wick 3" crew gathered at the Disney studio.

Martin got off the makeup trailer and saw Blake Lively. Seeing that she was walking normally, he said, "You're recovering well."

Blake said, "It's just a minor injury."

The two entered the studio, and an assistant director led them directly to an off-road vehicle parked on the sand.

With Chad's command, filming officially began.

Martin and Black took a long break, and the characters didn't feel good, so the director quickly called "cut."

The filming was intermittent, and only about a dozen shots were taken throughout the morning.

After lunch, Blake followed Martin into his lounge.

Martin took out the draft of the script he had brought and handed it to Blake: "Take a look, sunshine, shark beach, ocean, beautiful women, and a great white shark."

As Blake read the script, he remarked, "I'm in a bikini almost the entire time."

Martin said, "There's no need to hide a good physique."

When it comes to figure, there are few Hollywood actresses who are better than Blake Lively.

After watching only a short while, Blake was able to conclude: "I am the absolute protagonist; the roles of the other characters are negligible."

Martin said, "So, your acting skills, physique, and charisma are key to the success or failure of this film."

Blake smiled at Martin: "Darling, this is your directorial debut. Even if it fails, I'll accept it willingly."

Having worked on so many films, Martin naturally had some confidence: "If we follow my plan, the chances of success are quite high, and the film's budget won't be very high."

Blake understood: "Don't worry, my Twitter and Instagram accounts have always been managed by professional teams. With the help of your and Taylor's popularity, I'm now a veritable gossip queen."

Martin said, "The key to this film's success lies in our fame."

Blake deliberately said, "How about we pull out all the stops? We rekindle our old flame during filming, and then you propose to me just before the movie's release, and then we get engaged."

Martin's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water: "I'm helping you advance your career, darling, and what do you do? You want to imprison me!"

Blake replied, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."

She opened her phone and sent Martin a document: "A training plan devised for me by a professional coach, lasting a total of six months."

Martin needed to adjust his schedule, saying, "It's not too late to start training after you've fully recovered."

Blake nodded: "I wouldn't joke about my health."

The filming of the final scene in "John Wick 3" only lasted three days.

Just as this was ending, Martin received a call from Nolan, officially inviting him to join the Interstellar film crew and travel to Atlanta together.

Martin returned to where he had started his career.

(End of this chapter)