America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 144. Lao Bi, is that you?

The meal lasted for more than two hours, but eating was secondary; half of the food was still left on Theron and Eric's plates.

Two more glasses of wine were added.

The two spent most of their time chatting, starting with Inception, where Eric explained the world-building and plot to Theron in detail.

However, Theron stated that she still did not fully understand and needed to see the complete script.

The conversation then drifted to other areas, with the two discussing their views on film, such as who their favorite commercial film director was and who their favorite art-house film director was.

What's your favorite movie?

Who is your favorite actor?

They then discussed their views on the film industry. Charlize Theron was both surprised and incredulous at Eric's explanation of filmmaking techniques and concepts, as well as his vision for the future development of the film and television industry.

For example, comic book adaptations, Eric says will be all the rage in the future.

Charlize Theron expressed her incomprehension, saying that the success of one Spider-Man film doesn't mean anything. She pointed out that there was also the rise and fall of Batman in the 90s, and the same was true for the Superman series before that.

Interspersed among them are other miscellaneous superhero comic book adaptations, most of which ended up being box office flops and don't seem to have any chance of rising to prominence.

Eric also suggested that if she had the money, she should buy some Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon stock and hold it for the long term, as these are all blue-chip stocks that are guaranteed to make a profit.

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest, and the two exchanged their views.

As they left Leonard's restaurant, Eric escorted Theron to her car, a white Land Rover.

The tall car model certainly suited her resolute queen-like temperament.

He opened the car door for her. In just over ten days, the two had become much more familiar with each other. Tonight's meeting had deepened their understanding of each other, and they gave each other a light hug.

"Eric, your knowledge surprises me. I'm curious, have you really never studied film before?"

"No, I only recently started using it."

"Maybe this is what genius is all about. It's truly an amazing talent," Theron exclaimed, just like everyone else who couldn't believe it.

"Hehe. Just like your beauty, some things are destined by fate."

Eric said something that sounded like a compliment but was also teasing, and Theron smiled.

"By the way, I need to double-check. Are you sure the wine is okay? I don't want to be on the news for drunk driving and end up with a criminal record and having to work as a social worker."

"Don't worry, it's just a little wine, the alcohol content is too low. If you're still concerned, I'll take you home."

"Never mind, you've had your drink too. Since you're alright, I'll be going."

After refusing Eric's request, Theron drove off alone, leaving Eric with no choice but to get into his own car, rev the engine, and drive away.

For a moment, watching the skyscrapers rushing by outside, it felt just like a scene from "Inception".

This movie will definitely be filmed next year. Eric has already planned it out. That's what he told Heath Ledger when he interviewed the male lead for Transformers.

The main reason for not launching this year is that the investment in "Inception" was a bit too high.

Eric calculated that he could direct without receiving a single penny of remuneration, including screenwriter and director salaries and profit sharing. This was the case for all the films he participated in.

Anyway, the company is my own, but after it goes public, I will need to pay myself a salary because it will involve accounting. At that time, the company's money will no longer belong to me alone.

If it weren't Eric who was in charge, but Nolan instead, the profit sharing and salary would have cost more than $2000 million.

The actors can be saved a bit, and besides, I'm not a real-life filmmaking fanatic like Nolan, so there's no need to actually build an ice tower.

All things considered, it should save about 40 to 50 million US dollars, but even so, it would still take at least 80 million US dollars to make Inception. 90 million would be more reasonable.

The casting will be decided according to what we discussed during dinner. Christian Bale is much more cost-effective than Leonardo DiCaprio. Eric thinks Bale is not only cheaper, but also a better actor.

Moreover, Leonardo DiCaprio is only 180cm tall, and when standing next to Sergio Ramos (177cm) and Nicole Kidman (180cm), he is clearly not as suitable as Bale.

In the original Inception, the Phantom Mel was played by Maria Codion, whose Chinese nickname was Ma Liang.

This person was someone Eric didn't recognize but was already an acquaintance.

"La Vie en Rose" was originally her award-winning work, but it has now been given to Nicole.

Inception is also one of her representative works, and it was commissioned by Theron.

Poor Ma Liang! I wonder if he'll ever win an Oscar again. After all, good works only come around once in a decade, and perhaps all his luck in this life has already been taken away.

There's nothing I can do about it. You're not my woman, yet you've gotten so many high-quality resources.

If we are reborn in the next life, let's meet earlier and I'll make it up to you then.

The character most significantly altered is Ellen Page, or rather, Elliott Page after her gender reassignment surgery, who plays the dream architect Irene.

Nolan portrayed the character as a very talented young girl who lacks experience and needs time to learn before she can integrate into the team.

But since Nicole was cast, Eric decided to change the character into a dream architect who was no less capable than the male lead, Cobb.

She doesn't need to study and can provide more help to the team.

In Nolan's version, Ellen Page is portrayed as very strong, but in practice, her role is not very noticeable.

In Eric's revised script, the battles in the dream world will be more intense, and Neeko's abilities will be more prominent.

Then, a scene would be set up where Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron would face off directly. These two beauties have never been on screen together before, which would definitely be a great gimmick and have greater commercial appeal.

Before their time travel, the two had collaborated on a film called "Sexy Bomb," but the script was weak, and the final box office was only over $8000 million, which was a disservice to the acting skills of the two leading actresses.

Back home, Eric sent Theron a text message asking if she got home safely and if she had been stopped by the police.

The other person replied that they were already home, followed by a smiley face.

After taking off his coat, the house felt much quieter without Joshua's shouting.

This guy went back to the San Francisco team a few days ago. Apparently, he broke up with his mysterious girlfriend and went back heartbroken.

Eric still doesn't know who his girlfriend of half a month is.

But it's good to go back; I can learn management properly and prepare for the future.

"Eric, Billy's here, waiting for you upstairs," Mom said, taking the coat from him.

"Yes, I know. I sent him. Did he take long to arrive?"

"Not too long, about ten minutes."

"Okay, I understand."

Eric took two bottles of beer from the refrigerator and went upstairs to his room.

The door was open, and Billy was sitting in a chair, holding a photo album.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and said, "Eric, you're back."

Eric handed the beer to Billy, and the two clinked glasses and took a sip.

"Just got home, what are you looking at?"

Billy held up the photo album in his hand: "These are photos from our college days. Warren was so skinny back then."

"Skinny my foot, he weighed 200 pounds in college!" Eric retorted after glancing at him.

"I mean, compared to now, look at him. Ever since he started managing your company, his belly is bigger than a pregnant woman who's about to give birth."

"Hehe. This proves that he is very happy. I sent Bermahadi over to take charge, originally intending for him to learn and then rise to power, but I didn't expect the two of them to get together."

"What!" Billy exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I've seen that woman. She's amazing, I mean, her figure and looks. How did Warren manage to get her? That's unbelievable."

"That's right, that's what I think too. This fat guy got incredibly lucky."

Billy sighed, "Warren has a girlfriend now. Of the five of us, I'm the only one still single."

"What are you talking about? Me too," Eric said, pointing to himself.

Billy scoffed, "Come on, you think you're single? Nicole Kidman and Gal Gadot, aren't they both top-tier beauties? Besides them, there are a few others, only you know the real story."

"I'm constantly flying around, I don't even have time to date, sigh!"

Eric laughed heartily: "If you don't want to fly anymore, I'll find you a different job."

"No, flying has its advantages. Although I don't have time for dating, I enjoy eating takeout. Let me get tired of it before you change my job."

After a brief chat, Billy went over and closed the door. Although the villa was very safe, he felt more comfortable closing the door when discussing serious matters.

Eric crossed his legs and said, "So, how was your trip to London?"

Billy pulled a USB drive out of his pocket: "This has what you're looking for."

Eric took the USB drive, opened his laptop, plugged it in, and opened it to find a video lying quietly inside.

Click, click!

After clicking the mouse, the video will play.

The image is not very clear, and the shooting angle is also problematic; it's obviously a candid shot.

His voice was a little hoarse, but you could still make out what he was saying.

In the very center of the frame is Martin Barshere, that bastard BBC reporter, with two other people's arms also visible in the shot.

The group of people sitting around the dining table are most likely eating at someone's home.

The preceding dialogue was mostly meaningless, with a few people chatting and bragging. Billy then dragged the progress bar, and an interesting conversation began.

"Martin, you're really riding high right now. Your interview with Michael Jackson was fantastic. You've captured the world's attention, just as well as Princess Diana's."

By this time, the group had drunk quite a bit and were in high spirits.

In addition, since it was a private gathering with good friends, they naturally started to speak without restraint, saying things they should and shouldn't say, and became much less careful with their words.

In the video, Martin Basher laughs heartily: "This is my masterpiece, Princess Diana, that was my first brilliant victory."

"In order to obtain the interview rights with Diana, I forged a lot of documents and completely fooled her and her stupid brother."

"Hahahaha. That stupid woman actually believed it. Can you believe it? She just believed me like that."

"At the time, I showed her a bank statement and told her that the people around her had been bribed by Murdoch's media group to become informants to monitor her, but the statement was actually computer-generated."

"Diana didn't understand any of these technologies. She was completely at my mercy and gave me any answer I wanted. It's quite an interesting memory."

Beside him, a friend who hadn't shown his face immediately smiled and complimented Martin Basher, praising him endlessly.

"Martin, what about Michael Jackson this time? You must have used a lot of tricks again."

Martin Barshere continued to laugh wildly: "Of course, I spent a lot of time trying to get Jackson on board."

"For a whole year, I even claimed that I knew UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and could arrange a children's charity event for him in Africa."

"Finally, Jackson agreed to let me film and interview him. It was a long process, but fortunately, the result was good and my efforts were worthwhile."

Several friends joined in the laughter: "That's right, after the documentary aired, Michael Jackson's reputation was completely ruined because of you."

"What King of Pop, what Greatest Artist? We journalists are the uncrowned kings. In your hands, Martin, he's just a pawn to be manipulated and used."

Martin Barshere took a big gulp of his drink, his face becoming increasingly animated as he said, "You're right. I really can't stand that guy. He's clearly Black, but he pretends to be white. Does he think he can change his skin color and class that way?"

"I want to destroy him. Even if he has never done anything to molest children, I can make him look like that through editing and camera work."

"No matter how hard he tries to defend himself, it's useless. The moment the documentary is released, it's destined that many fools will believe that Michael Jackson, like Diana, is just a stupid person."

"Martin, so you chose Michael Jackson as your target because you hate his skin color?" his friend continued, trying to probe deeper.

But this time Martin Basher didn't continue speaking. Instead, he smiled silently and began to eat his food.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the other party tried to entice him: "No, no, no, we are all reporters. There are many people who have a greater influence than Jackson. It doesn't have to be him."

"Let me guess. I've heard rumors that he has a deep conflict with Sony Music, apparently because of copyright issues."

"Sony Music wanted to buy out the copyrights held by Jackson, but he has not agreed. Last year, he even had a public argument with Sony Music."

"Martin, did Sony hire you to do this?"

In the video, Martin Balshes smiled knowingly and said meaningfully, "You guessed it, this secret might not be revealed until all the people involved are dead."

After that, there was no more relevant content in the video, and everything went back to chatting and bragging, which wasn't very informative.

Although the last question remains unanswered, this video is enough to prove many things.

Eric patted Billy on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Good job!"

Billy chuckled. "Why are you being so polite with me!"

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(End of this chapter)