America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

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A new weekend arrived, and with it the onset of North America's traditional summer movie season, as big studio films began to cluster for release. "John Wick" ended its short-lived reign as the three-week box office champion, and the new box office throne was claimed by "Fast & Furious 4."

However, the film's North American gross had accumulated $165 million, with a worldwide total of $255 million, temporarily placing it at the top of the box office charts for the year 2009.

Given the scale of "John Wick," it naturally couldn't maintain this spot, as the upcoming summer slate featured heavy-hitting sequels like "Transformers 2," "Harry Potter 6," and "Ice Age 3" soon to hit the screens.

At the end of April, Marcus's memoir "Lone Survivor" was published and hit the market by Random House.

Martin, Chad, and Mene and others all attended the launch event in a show of strength.

They conscientiously stepped aside, declining media interviews, and put Marcus in the spotlight.

Marcus, choked with emotion, recounted the events of the Red Wing mission and declared that he would donate all the sales proceeds from his memoir to the American Veterans Association.

As for the earnings from adaptations, that was a matter for the future and naturally wasn't included in this event.

After a brief appearance to support the event, Martin went to the backstage rest area.

Chad said, "I saw Director Nolan's new screenplay at Mene's, but I couldn't understand what he had written."

Mene chimed in, "Actually, I didn't get it either."

The plot presented in the script is much more abstract than what is conveyed in the film's visuals. If Martin hadn't seen the movie before, he would have been just as confused when first reading the screenplay.

He said, "It's a story about dreams."

Mene scratched his head, "Dream within a dream, it's got me completely twisted."

Martin reminded him, "You're the supporting actor, with a very significant role. Make sure to get a grasp on any parts you don't understand…"

Mene nodded repeatedly, saying, "I've been meeting up with Emma lately, and she's been helping me interpret the screenplay."

Martin had nothing to add.

Because the Mene standing in front of him had Emma Thomas as an ace up his sleeve.

At that moment, Chad interjected, "In the second sequel, I'm planning to enhance the interaction between your character and Mene's, to create more chemistry and make the scenes even more engaging."

Martin said, "That's fine."

Chad beckoned Martin over to the window to discuss the sequel.

Mene was about to follow but was stopped by Bruce.

"What's up?" he asked.

Bruce lowered his voice and said, "How about a trip to Cannes, France, in mid-next month?"

Mene realized, "The Cannes Film Festival? That's right, the boss's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is going to have its global premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, I'm definitely going!"

"The film will be part of the competition."

Though not a qualified celebrity manager, there are things Bruce does quietly, "This year's jury chair is the veteran French actress Isabel Huppert."

Hearing this name, Mene immediately recognized it and his eyes gleamed, "I know her, exceptionally talented with a classic beauty, known as the most beautiful rose of France, the highest-status actress in the French entertainment industry."

He thought about Isabel Huppert's age, "She's the artistic goddess I admire the most!"

Bruce said, "We'll go to Cannes together then."

Mene nodded eagerly, "I want to meet my artistic goddess!"

The two of them quietly continued their conversation for a while until the door to the rest area opened from the outside, and Marcus, inflated like a blown-up balloon, staggered in.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he grabbed a cold soda and took a big gulp, and said, "I'd rather face the Afghan guerrillas than deal with those reporters again!"

Chad turned around to offer comfort, "You'll get used to it."

Martin knew that with the changes in political situations, Marcus might face even more complex scenarios in the future and advised, "Don't answer any media questions without professional PR and agents present."

Having just endured a barrage from the media, Marcus was still shaken, "I will never forget that."

Martin nodded, continuing, "As soon as the memoir is adapted and released, you'll be swamped by even more reporters. You'd better get used to it."

Marcus was very concerned about the adaptation of his memoir and asked, "Are they preparing to green-light the adaptation?"

"Thomas is looking for the right director," Martin briefly explained, "The project's production budget is around $40 million, the South Koreans have already agreed to finance this war movie, and if all goes well, it could hit North American theaters by 2011."
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As a movie adapted from his life story, Marcus was eager to see it on the big screen sooner rather than later. Now, with the memoir published and the film about to be green-lit, his greatest wish was fulfilled.

Martin's studio was in the final stages of negotiating distribution details with Warner Bros., and they planned to hire Aziva Gosman, recommended by Daniel, as the project producer; her recent works included "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "I Am Legend."

As for the director, Thomas had relayed the information to WMC, which was assisting in finding the right director.

After resting a bit, Marcus went out for a signing session.

It was time for Martin and his group to leave.

They exited the commercial plaza, and suddenly a shout came from the opposite side.

"Martin, I love you!"

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"The Eternal Cola War God!"

"Martin, I want to have your baby!"

A dozen beautiful girls in wedding dresses ran out from the middle of a crowd, blocking the way for Martin and his entourage.

Bruce quickly stepped in front of Martin and said to him, "It's them again!"

Martin recognized the girls and waved, saying, "I love you guys too."

The girls crowded around.

Martin once again fulfilled their wishes for autographs, reluctantly being dragged away by Bruce.

The two men coordinated with secret understanding, taking turns to indulge the fans.

Martin played the good guy, and of course, Bruce had to play the bad guy.

The wedding dress-clad girls chased after Martin's car for dozens of meters before finally stopping.

One of them said, "Martin is so nice, but that bodyguard is so mean for dragging Martin away like that."

"Right, right!" the one who was quick with words said, "Martin loves us, and we love Martin too, but there are so many obstacles in between."

The determined leader, Aisha, asserted, "Nothing can stop our love for Martin!"

The talkative one then said, "Acting group leader, you're totally right!"

Hearing this, Aisha was displeased, "Let me stress again, Tony is no longer the group leader, now I am your leader!"

Another person asked, "When is Tony coming back? I've tried calling her but can't get through."

"The phone is always unanswered!"

"Has something bad happened to Tony?"

Aisha, hearing people's constant concerns for the old group leader, could only say, "Tony had some family matters to attend to and had to go back for a while. She'll be back after some time."

Having been the group leader for this period, Aisha hoped Tony would never return.

As long as Tony didn't come back, Aisha believed that with time, she would become the new boss.

In the departing car, Martin straightened his clothes and said, "Good thing they're not too crazy."

Bruce agreed, "In America, to be considered a truly qualified crazy fan, you must attempt assassination of a US president to verify it!"

Mene continued, "I remember Guanhai, when he first took office, went to the hospital to visit Martin." Sharing the same race, he crossed himself on the chest, "God bless, he won't get into trouble."

Martin said, "Don't worry, I'm neither Manson nor Jodi Foster; fans aren't that insane."

Chad joked, "You're right, they just want to help you have a kid, no ill intentions."

Mene and Bruce burst into laughter.

Martin had no concept of children, but thinking of Nicholson's kids who were still living off their family, and Lorraine who seemed to be the most promising one, he quickly shook his head, "Kids are too terrifying, I'm not ready yet."

However, Mene said, "If Celine Dion would have my baby, the future would definitely be amazing."

The driver, Bruce, asked, "How much wealth does she have?"

Mene thought for a moment and said, "Definitely several hundred million dollars."

Chad said enviously, "If I had your abilities, I wouldn't be working as a director, getting tired and dealing with so much pressure."

Chatting idly, they entered Warner Bros. Studios.

Chad went back alone to the "John Wick" studio while Martin and two others hurried to Nolan's office to receive the shooting schedule for the month ahead from Emma Thomas.

Unlike in the past, due to the high tax rebates and subsidies offered by Morocco, the shooting base of the crew was set in Hollywood's African counterpart, Wazazat, and apart from some location shooting, all studio work would be filmed at Atlas Film City.

After the Oscar ceremony ended, Nolan, along with a large part of the crew, rushed to Morocco for the final preparations for shooting.

This also meant that Martin would be staying in Africa for a considerably long time in the future.

Luckily, Morocco is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa and one of Hollywood's favorite overseas filming bases. Moroccan authorities pay great attention to overseas crews coming for shooting, and they would even dispatch professional security teams to ensure the safety of the crew during filming.

Martin accordingly made his schedule, planning to go to France for the Cannes Film Festival first, and then head directly from France to Morocco after the festival.

At the end of May, the new project would officially begin shooting.

Martin's work schedule for the latter half of the year could also be basically confirmed, as he would join the crew of "Gone Girl."

Davis Studio and Louise's Pacific Film Production Company jointly established the "Gone Girl" studio, with Louise taking full charge of the project, working on the publication of the novel and other related matters.

David Fincher also signed a contract with the "Gone Girl" studio to officially direct the project.

Before leaving Los Angeles, Martin had a discussion with David Fincher and Gillian Flynn, reaching a high degree of consensus on the creative concept with only minor differences on some details.

Since Gillian Flynn had previously worked as a screenwriter, after consulting Martin, Fincher simply asked the original author herself to adapt the movie script.

After sorting out these matters, by the middle of May, Martin and Fincher, along with the crew, flew to Paris together.