America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 843 The Path to Demonhood Amidst Social Turmoil

A small party is being held at Davis Estate.

Leonardo looked at Martin curiously: "You've been acting all mysterious lately. I've asked you to come out for drinks and you haven't shown up."

Martin coughed. "I'm not feeling well, and I'm contagious. I'm afraid I might infect you."

Nicholson asked, "It's not serious, is it?"

Martin waved his hand: "It's nothing serious, I'm fully recovered now."

Nicholson said with some regret, "I was thinking of asking you to go out and have some fun with me. All this happening in Los Angeles lately has been so interesting."

Leonardo said, "Dude, you missed a good show."

Martin said, "I've seen the reports in the newspapers, on television, and on the internet; they're truly fascinating."

Nicholson said, "It's a shame Michelle Bryan is dead, otherwise there would have been a lot more to see."

Leonardo saw it clearly: "If she doesn't die, who knows how far things will escalate in North America, and some people in Washington will be dragged into it."

Martin continued, "So, to avoid causing more trouble, Michelle wisely chose suicide."

The three bastards laughed at the same time.

This blatant suicide is incredibly convincing!

Bruce then came in from outside, carrying a stack of newspapers.

Nicholson asked curiously, "Old Brooks, what's the fun going on?"

"It's related to Michelle Blaine." Bruce glanced at Martin, and seeing that he didn't object, he said directly, "One of the two people protesting in Ukraine is Michelle..."

Leonardo DiCaprio chimed in, "The other one is Brunel, the French fashion icon; I know him."

Nicholson nodded: "I know Brunel too."

Bruce said, "French authorities have just launched an investigation into Brunel, who hanged himself in his Paris apartment."

Leonardo was somewhat surprised: "Suicide? Or hanging...?"

"There's absolutely no creativity at all," Nicholson said.

Martin said, "They were really quick; they cut off both of the exposed hands."

Leonardo asked Bruce, "Are you sure it was suicide?"

Bruce said, "The French held a press conference and announced that Brunel committed suicide, and his family accepted the result."

Nicholson cut to the chase: "It's estimated that the relatives took over Brunel's entire estate."

Martin stated, "In terms of suicide, France is no less advanced than America."

Leonardo said, "I was thinking we'd have time to go to Europe to see a play, but it turns out we won't be able to."

As one good show came to an end, Nicholson, waiting for the next one, suddenly changed the subject, reminding Leonardo: "Didn't you and Martin have an agreement? Whoever wins an Oscar first will win one later."

Leonardo DiCaprio remembered this incident and corrected him, saying, "It's not about who wins an Oscar first, but rather that he wanted to win Best Director, and I was prepared to win Best Actor again. Let's see who gets it first."

Martin denied it: "It's clearly a competition to see who can win another Oscar for Best Actor first!"

Leonardo DiCaprio was furious at his son's lack of ambition: "You're preparing to be a director, can't you have any ambition?"

"That's the Oscar for Best Director!" Martin wanted to shove the middle finger in Leonardo's face. "How many years did it take Scorsese to win the Best Director Oscar? How many years did David Fincher take? Even Spielberg took more than 10 years, and George Lucas still hasn't touched the Best Director Oscar..."

Leonardo didn't miss the chance to taunt Martin: "You always have a way."

"Is the script for the film you're preparing to direct finished?" Nicholson immediately interrupted Martin's evasiveness.

Martin nodded slightly and told Bruce, who then went to the study to retrieve the script written by Bradett's team.

Nicholson took the script and flipped through it. After a short while, he said, "As expected of the trio of bastards, they know how to take shortcuts. The scenes are ridiculously simple, there are very few characters, and the plot... well, the plot is somewhat interesting, but it's more about pandering to the current social situation, with the theme of women's self-rescue."

Leonardo DiCaprio also became interested, asked for the script, quickly flipped through it, and commented: "The choice of the female lead is key."

The old lecher immediately spotted the key point: "This actress must have an outstanding figure and appearance."

Martin said, "We've got the same idea."

Nicholson said, "Assassins always have the same opinions."

The three of them discussed Martin Scorsese's film, and Leonardo even said that if he had time, he could go to the set and direct a short segment.

Martin clearly didn't take this film very seriously, agreeing to it immediately.

After Leonardo and Nicholson left, before Lily and Elizabeth returned, he made a phone call to Blake Lively.

The latter has fully recovered from his injury and has begun fitness, swimming, and surfing training.

In addition, after nearly a year of careful management, Blake Lively's Twitter and Instagram followers have exploded, and her reputation as the "gossip queen" has spread throughout the United States.

In Hollywood, she is one of the female celebrities with the most online fans.

The following morning, Martin arrived at DC Films for a meeting.

The Joker project has been officially greenlit. DC Films has hired a screenwriter to come up with the initial script ideas and is going to discuss the plot with Martin Scorsese, who is also the lead actor and producer, and Christopher Nolan, the producer.

Scott, the head of the DC writers' team, Hamada, president of DC Films, and Warner Bros., one of the film's investors and producers, were all present in the conference room.

Martin, Nolan, and Warner Bros. president Daniel sat on the same side of the long conference table.

Opposite them sat representatives from the DC, including Scott, Phillips, and Bruce Berman.

Hamada chaired the meeting.

Because Joker is not part of the DC Justice League universe, Warner Bros. and DC do not attach much importance to the Joker project.

Meanwhile, "Man of Steel" is about to be released, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" has entered the formal preparation stage, and "Joker" is still in the early stages of the project.

The projector turned on, and creative text appeared on the screen. Screenwriter Scott pointed at the screen with a laser pointer and said, "Regarding the plot, we plan to focus on the Joker's family, his parents' genetics, and the abuse he suffered, which led to the Joker's tragedy..."

"Wait a minute," Martin interrupted Scott.

Previously, he had communicated with DC Films several times and expressed his ideas, but DC Films clearly did not take them seriously and went ahead with creating a main storyline that was completely different from his ideas.

Scott glanced at Martin, then turned to look at Hamada. His storyline ideas had been approved by executives at DC and Warner Bros.

The project agreement had already been signed, and Warner Bros. had obtained the license from DC. Daniel asked directly, "Martin, do you have any objections?"

Martin and Nolan exchanged glances; the two had already reached an agreement in private.

He then said, "The Joker wasn't born a clown; his problems certainly come partly from his genes."

Scott breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Martin added, "But the circumstantial factors were equally crucial in the Joker's eventual transformation into a madman and an agent of chaos!"

He looked around the conference room and raised his voice slightly: "This film will continue the style of The Dark Knight, abandoning the comic book style and continuing the realistic style, which means that the Joker character will be placed in a completely real social context."

Nolan timely expressed his support: "I agree with Martin's opinion."

Scott frowned slightly.

Hamada stated, "I believe this will always be a manga character..."

As a member of the Warner Music Group, Hamada rambled on and on.

Martin didn't even listen. The Warner Bros. team's almost insane performance in DC movies was too much of a genius, and the Joker project couldn't handle it.

In his view, ignoring the opinions of the Warner Bros. team would naturally increase the film's success rate.

This is also the simplest way to ensure the film's success.

Martin waited until Hamada finished speaking, then said directly without responding to him, "Since the 2008 financial crisis, economic development has slowed down, and the lives of the lower and middle classes have become increasingly difficult. Too many people not only face economic pressure, but also cruel mental pressure. Countless people have gone insane because of this, and even more have turned to crime."

He countered, "Wouldn't the Joker's fall from grace be more convincing in this context?"

These ideas align with Nolan's vision, as he stated, "This makes the characters more authentic, believable, and resonates with a wider range of emotions."

Hamada still has a completely different opinion on this.

But before he could speak, Daniel added, "This is very important for the film's market prospects. We all know that more than 90 percent of the people who actually pay for a movie come from the lower and middle classes."

Scott was not happy. No one would be happy if a screenwriter saw their hard-earned ideas completely rejected.

But his opinions are not important, and his status is far from being comparable to Martin and Nolan.

We can only try to get Hamada's support.

Daniel further stated, "I suggest hiring a new team of writers to create a new script."

Hamada objected: "DC doesn't have a budget for this."

Daniel said, "Warner Bros. has it."

Martin chimed in, "Davis Studios also has them."

Hamada frowned; this film project, which didn't fit into the DC Justice League universe, was really hard for him to like.

Most importantly, if the style cannot be consistent with the cinematic universe...

Daniel added, "Let's leave this project entirely to Warner Bros. Hamada, you should focus all your energy on the DC Extended Universe."

These words struck a chord with Hamada, causing him to fall into deep thought.

The project has been authorized and the contract has been signed, so there's no way to back out. He always felt that his collaboration with Martin and Nolan was not going smoothly at all, as their ideas were completely different.

Hamada was exhausted: "I'll leave this project to you, but DC won't invest any more money in it."

In this way, if the project fails, DC suffers little loss; if the project succeeds, the copyright revenue alone can make DC a fortune.

Scott panicked: "President Hamada..."

Hamada raised his hand to interrupt him: "I will initiate the exit procedure, and you and your writing team will withdraw from the Joker project."

Screenwriters have no human rights, Scott shut up.

The meeting thus concluded, and Martin abandoned all of Scott's script ideas, leaving along with Daniel and Nolan.

The latter also had to return to the studio to work on the post-production of Interstellar, taking a completely supportive stance towards Martin.

Daniel and Martin went to Warner Bros. to continue discussing the script.

Originally, Martin had put forward a series of creative suggestions, intending to have DC adopt them before writing the script.

But as it turns out, he underestimated the Warner Bros. team's way of thinking.

The two sides are not on the same wavelength at all.

Arriving at Daniel's office, Martin said, "It's good news that DC isn't involved."

Daniel had his assistant bring over tea and said, "The project preparation timeline has to be postponed again."

Martin had already considered this on his way here: "We'll spend a year finishing the script, and then we'll start preparing for the film."

Daniel, recalling Martin's track record, asked, "Are there any suitable screenwriters?"

Martin nodded: "My old friend and partner, Bradett."

Compared to outside screenwriters, Bradley has collaborated with Martin for many years and can fully understand Martin's intentions when writing scripts.

For Martin, this is the epitome of a top-notch screenwriter.

Daniel said, "Yes, Bradett is an excellent screenwriter, and many of the projects you've collaborated on have been hugely successful."

Martin said, "Let's finish the script first, and then we'll talk about other preparations."

Daniel echoed, "Let's leave it at that for now."

When Martin left Warner Bros., he called Bradley, and when he returned to Davis Studios, Bradley was already waiting for him.

The two had collaborated on several projects and directly discussed the creation of the Joker script.

For the next two days, Martin temporarily put aside other work to focus on discussing the script with Bradett.

Bradett also produced a simple outline in the shortest possible time.

Compared to the unreliable Warner Bros. team, Martin was much more satisfied with the ideas from his long-term partner.

Bradley assured Martin that he would be able to complete the first draft of the Joker script in no more than six months.

This will not be an action movie; it will completely abandon the exaggerated designs found in comics and tell the story of how a person embarks on his path to becoming a demon amidst "social upheaval."

In mid-October, Martin temporarily put aside other matters and joined the cast and crew of "La La Land," reuniting with director Damien Chazelle and lead actress Saoirse Ronan to begin the pre-release promotion for the film.

The film began its pre-release promotional campaign, with a flurry of announcements and roadshows, and posters, trailers, and promotional materials appearing throughout North America.

Disney also held a test screening of "La La Land," which received unanimous praise. Theater managers considered it the best Hollywood musical of the last decade.

Although musicals have declined in popularity, every two or three years a new musical becomes a critical and commercial hit, such as "Chicago," "Mamma Mia!" and "Pitch Perfect."

This shows that musical films always have a certain market space.

Martin resumed his lifestyle of going between the airport, the hotel, and his announcements.

With sufficient buzz and positive test screenings, North American theaters have allocated 3955 theaters for the opening of "La La Land".

(End of this chapter)