America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 873 The New Generation is More Open

In the office, Ali Emmanuel yawned, rubbing his dark circles, and said, "Last night, Raymond and Dwayne Johnson called me more than a dozen times, keeping me up almost all night."

Martin was in high spirits, but unusually serious: "I stayed at the hospital all night without sleeping."

Ali asked, "Is Jack badly injured?"

Martin said gravely, “Jack is so dizzy he can’t stand up. He doesn’t even recognize his daughter Lorraine, let alone Leo and me.”

Ali knew that the trio of bastards, known as the Iron Triangle, were in trouble because Jack Nicholson had been hurt in front of Martin.

Thomas then said, "Jack was trying to stop Johnson from harassing Alexandra, a client of the company."

"The company will take the appropriate stance," Alibaba stated.

Between Martin and Dwayne Johnson, is there even a question? He glanced at his watch: "They should be finishing their talks soon."

This morning, Lorraine and her lawyer, Nicholson, met with Johnson and his group, who had invited them, at WMA to discuss follow-up matters.

Dwayne Johnson is under tremendous public pressure.

Martin said, "Ali, let's leave it at that for now. I won't interfere with whatever outcome Lorraine and Johnson reach, but Johnson must publicly apologize to Alexandra."

Ali nodded: "I'll keep an eye on Johnson's side."

If he doesn't issue a public apology, the feminists alone will make Johnson question his existence.

Martin received a message, said something to Ali, and left the meeting room to go to Thomas's office.

Lorraine and her lawyer are waiting here.

Martin pointed to the office: "Let's go inside and talk."

Lorraine, Thomas, and the other two entered the office together.

Martin asked directly, "How did the talks go?"

Lorraine smiled and said, "A public apology, covering medical expenses, and a large sum of compensation for emotional distress."

After exchanging a few words, Lorraine said goodbye and left.

Martin escorted her out.

The two went downstairs, and Lorraine said in a low voice, "Jack is fine now. Just go about your business and don't go to see him too often."

Martin said, "I'll go over there again this afternoon."

Lorraine waved and got into the car.

When Martin arrived in the afternoon, Nicholson was watching the live stream online. The WMA had convened a press conference for Dwayne Johnson, where Johnson formally apologized to Jack Nicholson and Alexandra Daddario in front of the entire online audience.

Nicholson's side is relatively easy to deal with, but the feminist side is not so easy to appease.

As we all know, American XXN is just as tough to deal with; once a punch is thrown, it's not so easy to take it back.

The organized #MeToo movement didn't participate, but the wild feminists were even more unreasonable.

"We urge judicial intervention. If harassing women is simply a matter of an apology, how will women's rights be protected in the future?"

"Ladies, does anyone know where Johnson lives? Let's go bother him!"

"We call for a boycott of Johnson!"

Pandora's box has been opened. In this day and age, feminism is not only rampant, but in left-leaning places like Los Angeles and Hollywood, it can kill a child with a single punch.

Even a big guy like Johnson couldn't handle it.

After the press conference ended and Johnson returned to the dressing room, his agent Raymond informed him: "Sony Columbia called me and turned down our offer to work on a remake of 'Jumanji.'"

Johnson's face darkened. "Because of those feminists?"

"Yes, the direct cause is feminism," Raymond emphasized. "Those feminist groups are not just feminist groups; various LGBTQ organizations are closely connected, and offending one often provokes resentment from many others."

Johnson understood what he meant: Sony Pictures Entertainment didn't want to lose the support of this group after the film was made and produced.

He leaned back in his armchair, closed his eyes, his face etched with exhaustion, and said, "Then let's quit."

Sony Columbia has already refused, and there is no other way but to withdraw.

Raymond suggested, "Let's keep a low profile for a while and wait for the media frenzy to pass."

Johnson said, "You and Garcia can discuss the specifics and get it done."

Raymond then went to his manager, Garcia, to discuss how to quell the controversy.

…………

In the hospital ward, the doctor examined Nicholson again, told the family to make sure the patient got enough rest, and then left the ward.

Once the ward door closed, Martin reached out his hand: "Get up."

Nicholson grabbed Martin's hand and was pulled up by him.

Leonardo asked, "The acting is almost over, when do you plan to be discharged from the hospital?"

"I'll start going back to normal tomorrow," Nicholson said. He displayed the professionalism of an actor: "Once you've taken on this role, you have to act according to the underlying logic. No illness can be cured overnight; recovery always takes time."

"See that?" Martin patted Leonardo on the shoulder and said, "Jack is teaching you acting. Pay attention."

Leonardo said, "He doesn't need to teach me such a simple principle."

Nicholson's retort came immediately: "So the best thing you've ever done in your life is to frown, glare, and yell."

Leonardo was furious: "You two bastards, stop fucking mocking me! When I get four Oscars, I'll make you count them three hundred times a day!"

Martin said, "Count to 20 seconds each time."

Leonardo scratched his head: "I'm 30 seconds now, okay?!"

"I'm leaving." Martin packed up his phone and walked out, then said to Nicholson, "Give me a call once you confirm your discharge date, so I can arrange for some media friends to come and see you off."

Nicholson gave Martin the middle finger.

As they left the ward, Thomas, who had come with them, returned just after finishing a phone call. Martin called him to come downstairs together, and they got into the Cadillac that Bruce had driven.

Once the car had shaken off the paparazzi and entertainment reporters, Thomas said, "I just received feedback from the company that Sony Pictures Entertainment is preparing to remake 'Jumanji.' Johnson was originally interested in playing the male lead, but Sony Pictures rejected him."

Martin, who had previously reviewed the project's proposal, script outline, and character designs for the main cast in the WMA database, asked, "Is Sony Columbia still planning to collaborate with WMA?"

Thomas nodded: "They asked about your availability."

Martin wasn't interested in the four-person ensemble piece project: "Tell them I don't have any free time for the next two years." He paused for a moment: "Isn't there an African American and a busty woman among the four main characters? I'd recommend Menne and Alexandra for that role."

Menez and his agent had already joined WMA, Thomas replied, "I will have the company give them a strong recommendation."

Martin recalls that a sequel to the remake of "Jumanji" was made, which should guarantee the film's commercial success.

As for Dwayne Johnson, his box office performance is generally mediocre; the number of movies in which he plays the lead role that flop is no less than the number of those that succeed.

Martin hadn't even arrived in Beverly Hills when he received a call from Alexandra.

"I'm at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel," Alexandra said deliberately. "Catherine is here too."

"What normal man could refuse the invitation from these two sisters?" Martin said. "I'm coming right now."

He left Thomas in Century City and rushed to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

In the VIP room on the top floor, Martin met Alexandra and Catherine.

He's been so stressed by Nicholson's performance these past few days that he's had a nervous breakdown, so he can use face wash to perk himself up.

Martin recovered from his fatigue in just one night, temporarily setting aside Leonardo and Nicholson, and interviewed Scott Frank with Louise.

This screenwriter-turned-director has been in the industry for over 20 years, working as an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. In addition to his main job in Hollywood, he is also an amateur chess player, having reached the quarterfinals three times in a non-professional tournament across the United States.

In addition to discussing the creative concept behind "The Queen's Game," Martin also had the chess grandmaster he hired play a game against Scott Frank during the interview.

Scott Frank proved to be a skilled chess player, almost at a professional level.

He is also very familiar with the novel "The Queen's Game," having studied the real-life figures who inspired the novel in the 1980s and 90s.

Although the novel's protagonist, Beth Harmon, is fictional, Walter Tevez drew inspiration from the experiences of the famous chess world champion, Bobby Fisher, in his writing.

From the end of World War II to the 1970s, a total of five world chess champions were produced, all of whom were from the former Soviet Union.

Until 1972, Bobby Fisher defeated Boris Spassky, the former Soviet chess champion, breaking the Soviet Union's monopoly on the world chess championship.

This had a very special significance during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Walter Tevez wrote "The Queen's Game" after watching this game, but he changed the male protagonist to a female protagonist.

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The project was already niche, and the main character was a woman, which was the main reason why the adaptation never materialized.

But times have changed, and movies and TV series featuring strong female leads may be entering their most popular period.

After two days of interviews and chess games, Martin and Louise agreed that Scott Frank was a good fit to adapt and direct "The Queen's Game".

The production team immediately registered a studio and signed Scott Frank, who would be responsible for adapting the film script into a television series of about eight episodes and would also serve as the project's director.

With the screenwriter and director confirmed, Martin shifted his focus to preparing for his next role.

He visited a mental health center to see firsthand those suffering from dissociative identity disorder.

Preparations for "Split" are nearing completion, and filming can begin on schedule in early November.

Martin would communicate directly with David Fincher every day, not only about the characters, but also about directing.

Joker is also a dark, antisocial film.

Martin Scorsese originally wanted to invite Nolan or David Fincher to direct "Joker," but Nolan announced that superhero movies were over for him, and David Fincher had already signed with Netflix and would be producing "House of Cards 2" after finishing "Split."

If he can't find a suitable director, Martin plans to try directing it himself.

For a director like David Fincher, who excels at dealing with darkness and psychological issues, Split was not a difficult film. The real challenge lay in Martin Scorsese's performance.

To prepare for the role, Martin didn't lock himself in a hotel for over a month like he did when playing the Joker, but he filled two large notebooks with relevant notes and had on-site contact with more than thirty patients with dissociative identity disorder.

David Fincher is not Nolan; he doesn't have as many tricks up his sleeve when it comes to publicity and marketing.

However, David Fincher also gave Martin some advice regarding the role.

"The main appeal of this film lies in the personality transformation."

In the office, David Fincher said the key point to Martin: "If you can't handle different personalities with ease, I can guarantee that we'll both be Golden Raspberry Award favorites."

Martin laughed: "My goal is to win the Oscar for Best Actor, and then become the Razzie Award for Worst Actor. That turn of events will shock movie fans all over the world. To protect them, I'm determined to play this role well, no matter what."

David Fincher said, "While thrillers are a bit weaker in the Oscar race, many people have won Best Actor for thrillers in the past. With your connections, as long as the role is good, a nomination shouldn't be a problem."

He thought for a moment and said, "While ensuring the smooth flow of the film's story, I will give you more screen time and space to showcase your character development."

Martin was confident in himself, saying, "I have no problem."

David Fincher asked another question: "Does the ending need to leave enough suspense for a sequel?"

"No need," Martin said. "It's enough that the male lead ran away."

If the first one is a success, it's not too late to talk about a sequel.

Of course, regardless of whether there is a sequel, this is a realistic dark thriller, not a superpower movie.

The two discussed for another half hour before Martin left the office, ready to go home.

As he left the office building next to the photography studio and was about to get into his car, someone came out of the main entrance of the studio.

Anya Taylor-Joy, dressed in a fitted sportswear outfit, strode over and greeted, "Hi, Martin."

Martin smiled and nodded, then asked, "You've joined the crew?"

Anya's bulging eyes looked especially like goldfish eyes: "We'll be rehearsing before joining the crew. Some of the scenes involve me and you. Can I ask about the rehearsal schedule? That way I can make some adjustments."

Martin thought for a moment: "I'll be going to the mental health center every day for the next few days to experience life there firsthand. Rehearsals for my scenes with you will probably have to be scheduled for next week."

"Experience life firsthand?" Anya hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Can I go with you?"

She picked up the script for her role and waved it around: "My character interacts with you a lot and also needs to understand people with dissociative identity disorder."

"That's no big deal," Martin readily agreed. "We'll meet in Century City tomorrow."

Anya smiled and said, "Thank you for your help."

Martin said, "Even if you don't mention it, the production team has a unified plan."

"I...I'm not just thanking you for that," Anya said frankly, "I also want to thank you for choosing me for this role."

Martin saw Bruce drive up in his four-wheeled electric car and said, "It's mainly because you're a good fit."

He invited, "Get in the car, let's go to the parking lot together."

Anya, of course, did not refuse. She got into the electric car with Martin and left the Disney studio together.

Before leaving, she asked for Martin's phone number, saying it would be easier to contact him the next day.

The new generation of Hollywood actresses is no more conservative than the older generation; in fact, they are more open-minded.

(End of this chapter)