America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 877 The Real Reason Why You Shouldn't Underestimate a Young Person's Poorness

In the film set, which was set up as an underground restaurant, Sofia Stallone put on a special protective suit and lay down in an extra-large plate prepared by the crew.

The blood-red sauce, made with a special tomato paste, immediately soaked her fair body.

Two makeup artists came over and began to work on Sofia's body using various cosmetics with red as the main color.

All the props and makeup were for one purpose: to turn Sofia into a horrifying meal.

"Done!" the makeup artist shouted to the director.

Sofia couldn't stay still for long, so David Fincher shouted, "Get ready to start filming!"

Martin, wearing a shirt, quickly entered the set and arrived at the food truck containing Sofia.

The script supervisor came over and clapped the clapperboard; filming began.

Martin pushed the food cart into the room, parked it next to the cage, and displayed a huge plate, big enough to hold a person, in front of Anya Taylor-Joy.

This feast, made with human bodies as the main dish, was shocking when filmed.

Martin pulled up a chair and sat opposite Anya, picked up the cutlery, and grinned wickedly, saying, "Let me introduce this, this is our last supper, a dish of the soul!"

He had just finished saying a line when he felt Sophia on the plate move slightly.

"Stop!" David Fincher immediately halted filming. "Sofia, hold on a little longer."

Sofia quickly replied, "Okay."

The makeup artist rushed over to touch up the makeup, maintaining the bloody yet exquisite appearance of the food.

This is the scene depicting the male protagonist's final personality, a cruel art master.

The soul-stirring culinary feast prepared by the male protagonist was designed by David Fincher, Hollywood's premier dark director, who always manages to come up with new and exciting ideas in the realm of darkness and cruelty.

The scene was filmed for most of the afternoon, and Sofia was so tired from lying on the plate that she was exhausted.

As soon as David Fincher announced that filming was over, she couldn't wait to get up.

Martin quickly reached out to help her down from the plate.

"I must be crazy to agree to act in a play like this," Sofia complained to Martin, whom she had known for years. "Smell me like that, I smell like disgusting tomato sauce from head to toe."

Martin took a towel and handed it to her, saying, "It smells marinated well."

Sofia opened her arms, wanting to hug him: "Can't you comfort me?"

Martin pressed down on her forehead, preventing anyone from getting close: "Go take a shower and change your clothes, or you'll really get marinated."

Sofia wiped the ketchup off her face with a towel and left the studio.

Filming for the day was over. Martin didn't go back to the makeup trailer, but instead went behind the director's monitor to find David Fincher and watch the footage they had just shot.

After reviewing all the shots, David Fincher was very satisfied: "This scene of soul cooking has a strange and eerie artistic beauty amidst its bloody cruelty."

"Where do you get your creative inspiration?" Martin asked, quite curious.

David Fincher roughly stated, "This is not my original work; it's borrowed from others."

Martin doesn't recall seeing this type of footage; it's a completely different style from Hannibal Lecter's.

David Fincher countered, "Have you ever heard of Satanism?"

Martin nodded: "I've heard about it."

He had heard Louise mention before that Satanism also had a wide following in Hollywood, and that it had already extended its reach into Washington, D.C., with Mrs. Laughlin reportedly being a follower.

David Fincher added, "This type of soul cooking is Satanic communion. Of course, the main course is a human body modeled after something else. Many people in the industry have tried it. Lady Gaga is probably the most fervent follower of Satanism in the entertainment industry. She not only took her friends and family to try soul cooking, but also walked the red carpet wearing a flesh-colored outfit."

Martin remembered: "That raw meat dress she wore at the MTV Video Music Awards a few years ago?"

"Some people say she's protesting against vegetarians, but that's not the case." David Fincher, a music video director with close ties to the pop music industry, simply stated, "The meat-covered outfit is originally a form of Satanic performance art."

Martin shook his head: "It feels evil. Someone like me who likes to be upright and honest can't accept it at all."

David Fincher's opinion differed from Martin's: "I feel it's cult."

In a place like America where cults are rampant, all sorts of monsters and demons exist. Everyone has different ideas, and no one will force anyone to accept them.

The two chatted for a while about Satanism and soul cooking, and then they started talking about cults.

David Fincher has some new ideas in this regard: "I signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Netflix, and in the future, we will not only continue to produce sequels to 'House of Cards,' but also other works."

Martin asked directly, "You have a plan?"

"Yes, about cult themes," David Fincher explained simply. "I'm planning an animated series project, inviting some directors to join, each directing a short film."

He directly invited Martin: "If you're interested, you can give it a try."

The combination of Netflix and David Fincher, along with the animated series, quickly reminded Martin of the cult animated series from his past life—Love, Death & Robots.

"A cult animated series? Or a short film?" Martin saw David Fincher nod and readily replied, "No problem, I'm very interested, I can give it a try."

This topic seemed to have scratched a nerve with David Fincher, who went on and on: "Although it is experimental, I have already spoken with Netflix, and all participants are free to use their imaginations. Apart from the length of the film, there are no restrictions. Cult films, explicit content, and elements of gore, violence, eroticism, and horror are not a problem."

Martin nodded. "It sounds crazy, but it feels like a good idea."

David Fincher smiled and said, "I have always advocated breaking away from the conventional half-hour to one-hour format of mainstream TV series, and abandoning the coherent plot logic between each episode, so as to highlight the entertainment value of the work as much as possible and present what a state-of-the-art animation product should look like."

Martin said very seriously, "I need to think carefully about what kind of crazy animated short film I should make."

It has to be evil and unconventional enough, like Megatron going head-to-head with Optimus Prime.

David Fincher said, "You can do whatever you want."

The two left the studio together, and Martin said as they walked, "It seems you're having a great time working with Netflix."

David Fincher nodded slightly: "Netflix has given me a lot of support, and most importantly, a high degree of creative freedom. I am the first well-known director in Hollywood to fully cooperate with them, which gives me a bit of a first-mover advantage."

He pondered for a moment: "The way movies are shown in the future may change because of streaming media."

Martin agreed: "The window from theaters to physical screenings will be shortened further, and some films may even skip theaters and go directly to streaming platforms."

David Fincher stated, "In October, the Directors Guild held a meeting to discuss this issue, and everyone agreed that streaming platforms would harm the film industry. Even I was ostracized."

Martin said, "In every era, the industry will change, and conservatism won't save Hollywood movies."

David Fincher cautioned, "You'd better not say that to Christopher Nolan; he's the director most opposed to streaming platforms."

"I will," Martin wrote down.

Two of the most vocal Hollywood directors who opposed their films being released on streaming platforms were Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg.

But when Spielberg later collaborated with Netflix, he almost exclaimed, "It's so good!"

As for Nolan, this aspect, like his insistence on film, has become his signature persona.

Perhaps every successful director has a quirky side.

David Fincher went to the office building next door, while Martin removed his makeup, changed his clothes, and waited for a while in the trailer.

Less than ten minutes later, Menez called.

Martin got out of the car after answering the phone and walked to the main road of the film studio.

Menez was waiting for him in front of the coffee shop: "Boss, over here."

Martin followed him into the coffee shop and ordered a coffee casually.

The two sat in a booth near the window, and Menez excitedly said, "I've basically reached an agreement with Sony Columbia! Boss, thank you for recommending me there, and thank you for helping me get Johnson on board."

Martin wasn't involved with Johnson because of Menezes, but there's no need to explain further. He simply asked, "When did the remakes of 'Jumanji' start?"

Menez said, "The project has just started early scriptwriting, and Sony Columbia is looking for directors and investors. It is estimated that preparations may not begin until the middle of next year, and filming is expected to take place in 2016."

Hollywood movies are slow to be made due to their large investments and production scale.

It's quite rare in the industry for someone like Steven Spielberg to produce a big-budget film every year.

Nolan's pace of releasing a major film every two years is nothing short of phenomenal.

Martin said, "Two leading roles in a row, get ready."

Menez was somewhat troubled: "I just want to be a supporting actor like Morgan Freeman."

Martin suddenly remembered something crucial: "Celine Dion and Renée don't have any stepdaughters or anything, right?"

"Don't worry, boss," Menez said with an air of sophistication. "Those little girls are simply not to my taste. Celine Dion and Emma Thomas are so much better."

Everyone has different tastes. Just like Bruce likes Kim Kardashian, Martin can't really say anything about it.

As for Morgan Freeman, his career has been in trouble ever since Michelle Bryan's suicide.

Martin originally wanted to give him a warning, since it was Morgan Freeman who invited him to the party, which led to his entanglement with Michelle Bryan's group.

Before Martin could even make a move, TMZ dropped a bombshell about Morgan Freeman and his step-granddaughter Adina, shocking the world.

Its impact was even greater than that of Woody Allen back then.

While such incidents in Hollywood don't fundamentally harm actors or lead to industry-wide blacklistings, the current social environment is different from Woody Allen's era, and there have been noticeably fewer first- and second-tier productions casting Morgan Freeman in the past two years.

Morgan Freeman took the opportunity to announce his semi-retirement in order to save face.

He then specifically sought out Nicholson and donated a large sum of money to a foundation established by Martin as an expression of apology.

Martin then gave up on bothering him.

The Morgan Freeman scandal has triggered a chain reaction, with at least eight actresses now accusing him of sexual harassment.

They got Morgan Freeman into trouble simply by speaking in the media, without any evidence.

The version keeps changing. The incident that Martin had seen countless times in his previous life was not unique to the other side of the Pacific. Strictly speaking, it was also transmitted from the United States.

A short essay without any evidence could almost kill an ordinary man.

Even if it is later found to be a frame-up, the author of the short essay usually does not have to pay the price.

Menez added, "Celine is planning a Christmas party in Los Angeles and would like to invite my friends. Do you have time?"

"I didn't go back to Atlanta for Thanksgiving because I was filming," Martin declined. "I'll probably be spending Christmas and New Year's in Atlanta."

Menez nodded: "Let me tell Celine in advance."

Martin asked, "What's wrong with Renny?"

"It's not good," Menez said. "I don't think he'll last much longer. Celine and I won't get married until after he meets God."

As the two were talking, Emma Thomas suddenly came in from outside, smiled and nodded at Martin, and left with Menez.

Watching the two figures walk away, Martin recalled David Fincher's earlier remarks about free-flowing animated short films, and some inspiration struck him.

How about making an animated short film of about ten minutes long, based on Menez?

Martin also left the studio and kept thinking about it on his way to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Menez is a natural-born protagonist with a legendary life story. If placed in a science fiction or fantasy setting, he would be a perfect example of "never underestimate a young man's potential."

Because behind the boy stands a bunch of wealthy women and powerful men!

Martin arrived at the hotel, where Anya Taylor-Joy was waiting for him in a private room.

The two continued rehearsing their scenes as the male and female leads.

After the rehearsal, Martin gave Anya the script of "The Witches" that he had brought.

The script for this project has been finalized, and with funding secured from Davis Studios, Robert Eggers began assembling and preparing the production team, and will soon be recruiting actors.

Anya has been confirmed as the female lead. Robert Eggers watched several takes of "Split" and had no objection to Martin's choice.

In contrast, The Queen's Chess Game is progressing much slower. Scott Frank will need at least six months to complete the script adaptation, and filming will not begin until the second half of next year at the earliest.

In the time that followed, Martin was mostly busy with "Split," spending a lot of time watching the filming footage and consulting with David Fincher, in addition to his performance as the lead actor.

The filming of the main male and female lead scenes went particularly smoothly because Martin and Anya rehearsed so many times.

By mid-December, filming was nearing its end.

Before Christmas, David Fincher led the crew to the outdoor area of ​​the Disney studio to shoot a few outdoor scenes, including the opening scene where the male protagonist kidnaps the girls.

Filming for this movie has now come to an end.

(End of this chapter)