Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

Lucy would be filmed using 3D technology.

While other companies had yet to react, Ethan planned to capitalize on the 3D craze sparked by Avatar by releasing two versions of the film.

This way, he could capture the entire audience and use it to establish his own superpowered cinematic universe.

This was something he had been planning for a long time. After all, no matter how high the box office earnings of a single film were, it wouldn't contribute much to a company's long-term revenue growth. In the new era, only well-known IPs could take off with the right market conditions and become new profit engines for a company.

To that end, he had even acquired a stake in Valiant Comics, successfully gaining a foothold in the industry.

But that was a matter for later. Right now, Ethan was still at Digital Domain discussing the modeling process with Salomon Ambrose.

"Take a look at this," Salomon Ambrose pointed at a 3D model on the table. It was a small boss character in the film, temporarily named Chainsaw Man.

His entire arm was a mechanical limb that could deploy a chainsaw, and his legs were also cybernetic, giving him enhanced jumping ability and durability far beyond ordinary people.

Before Lucy gained stronger abilities, this small boss would be a fitting opponent for her.

Ethan picked up the approximately 30-centimeter-tall model. It felt solid, with vibrant paintwork—good enough to be sold as merchandise.

"Not bad at all. I didn't expect you guys to have such craftsmanship."

Salomon Ambrose explained, "These models help us with digital sculpting and also have collectible value."

"That's true," Ethan nodded. "Let's go with this design, and make a batch of figures for all the major characters. We can use them for promotion later."

"Understood."

"But there are still some issues we need to discuss, Ethan. For example, that vertical city concept you mentioned…"

Since the film was set in a cyberpunk world, Ethan had designated different cities as economic hubs.

To highlight the contrast between advanced technology and a bleak reality, each city needed a distinct visual style.

For instance, New York was the city of cybernetic augmentation, where people pursued cutting-edge prosthetics. The upper-class elites used high-end, gold and silver designs, while the lower-class relied on commercial-grade augmentations in chaotic, mismatched colors.

In this city, color signified social class.

Anyone without cybernetic implants would appear out of place.

Besides New York, there was also a vertical city that would serve as an Easter egg rather than a main setting. However, Ethan insisted that it had to exude a sense of mystery and technological grandeur.

This meant towering skyscrapers, multi-layered structures, honeycomb-like residential complexes, and various aircraft soaring through the sky.

Additionally, there would be an inverted transportation system with railways running upside down in the air.

In this city, the lower-class lived underground, never seeing sunlight, while the elite resided in the upper levels, enjoying natural landscapes.

Salomon Ambrose, having never read much cyberpunk literature before, had been catching up recently but still found the imagery unclear.

"It's actually quite simple," Ethan explained. "Take a look at Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City and China's Chongqing. Combining elements from both places would match my vision for the vertical city."

"Got it," Salomon Ambrose nodded, taking notes.

In fact, besides cyberpunk, Ethan also planned to incorporate Lovecraftian elements into the film.

These were themes that resonated deeply with young audiences. Extracting the most iconic aspects would undoubtedly lead to strong market reception.

However, the timing wasn't right just yet. Since Lovecraftian horror had already been explored in numerous novels, it could be introduced subtly in the film as background elements.

To that end, Ethan had purchased the rights to many Lovecraftian novels. It was during this process that he discovered some of the more famous works had already been sold for film adaptation.

Some had even been turned into movies.

This was a blind spot in his knowledge, but it showed how sharp Hollywood's instincts were—smart investors had already secured rights as soon as a new genre gained traction. Whether or not these adaptations would become box office hits was irrelevant; buying the rights early was never a bad decision.

However, the market wasn't ready to fully embrace such avant-garde content yet, so many Lovecraftian novel rights remained shelved within studios and production companies, waiting for the right moment.

This forced Ethan to establish a new rights management company to negotiate with producers and acquire more Lovecraftian novel rights.

Of course, he couldn't do this under Norton Eye's name—everyone knew Ethan had a sharp eye for investments. If they found out he was the buyer, they would undoubtedly raise their prices.

So, these negotiations were carried out in secret.

After finishing his discussion with Salomon Ambrose, Ethan headed to the props department.

The room was filled with various cybernetic limb prototypes. Since realism was a priority, Ethan planned to rely on practical effects as much as possible, using CGI only as a supplement.

This made the props department crucial—their work would determine the film's overall visual impact.

Luckily, the head of the department, whom Ethan had recently poached, had over twenty years of industry experience. Even without direct references for some cybernetic designs, he could collaborate with the art team to create them from scratch.

And the results were impressive. The props looked so realistic that it was hard to tell them apart from real cybernetic limbs, especially in terms of material and texture.

Ethan picked up a lightweight "steel cybernetic arm," imagining how it would look with added lighting effects. He felt that the visuals could definitely rival Avatar.

While Avatar focused on large-scale CGI environments and intricate skin textures, Lucy didn't need that.

Lucy only needed to emphasize cybernetic enhancements and superpower effects.

This approach not only saved money but also delivered a strong visual impact—an efficient use of resources.

Even so, the film's budget was still higher than Inception's.

Early estimates suggested a cost of around $150 million.

Ethan certainly wasn't going to fund the entire budget himself. The first investor he approached was Paula Wagner from United Artists.

Upon learning that Ethan was working on a 3D film, Wagner immediately agreed to invest.

United Artists was in much better shape than before its acquisition, now operating at a break-even point and close to profitability.

This was largely thanks to Ethan's previous films, which had revived the studio's reputation.

Paula Wagner no longer doubted his vision or abilities and instantly committed $50 million to the project.

Of the remaining $100 million, Ethan planned to secure $30 million from advertisers, leaving Norton Eye responsible for the final $70 million.

To be honest, a $70 million investment was a significant burden for Norton Eye.

Over the past year, Ethan had spent heavily—hiring top talent, founding new companies—but while his assets had expanded several times over, liquid funds couldn't appear out of thin air.

Fortunately, his Tokyo subsidiary was already highly profitable. The idol alliance led by Yasushi Akimoto had successfully ignited a new idol boom in Japan, making the second-generation idols a cultural phenomenon.

These idols were now a staple in television shows, movies, and even dominated music charts.

Many Japanese musicians were frustrated by this shift, as idol groups often released multiple versions of the same single. Though the title track remained the same, B-side songs varied across versions, featuring different subunits or team performances, and even included exclusive photo books and handshake event tickets.

Yet, all these versions counted toward the same song's total sales, leading to an artificial inflation of numbers.

AKB48's chart dominance was largely due to this marketing strategy.

Yasushi Akimoto was truly a mastermind—he had perfected the idol business model.

So, even though Norton Eye had made heavy investments, it could sustain itself by drawing profits from Japan.

After confirming the props department's progress, Ethan rushed to Valiant Comics' headquarters.

This comic company was his real leverage against Disney, Warner, and Sony in the coming years.

In America, comics were the best breeding ground for IPs. Young people loved them, and physical comics remained a staple of mainstream entertainment.

Much like in Japan, printed comics were deeply embedded in American pop culture.

Whoever succeeded in the comic industry could drive success across film, TV, and animation.

That was why Ethan had invested in Valiant Comics.

Norton Eye needed a creative powerhouse to continuously generate new IPs.

However, Valiant Comics' current financial state was poor. The company had been sold to Acclaim Entertainment in 1994, only for Acclaim to mismanage it. By 2004, Acclaim had shut down all divisions and halted comic production.

It wasn't until 2005 that two entrepreneurs injected new funds into Valiant Comics, bringing it back to life. But comic sales had never really taken off. This year, those two entrepreneurs were struggling to keep things running and had finally agreed to let Ethan take over.

Ethan knew that this company would one day become America's third-largest comic publisher, behind only DC and Marvel. Though that title wouldn't last long, it at least proved that Valiant Comics had the potential to stand among the giants.

The company's main problem was the lack of valuable IPs. It hadn't truly created its own signature superhero.

The few well-known characters it had: Pioneer Brave, Zero Armor, Night Shadow, and Bloodshot.

To be honest, Ethan had barely heard of them.

Compared to Marvel's heroes, their recognition was worlds apart—not even on the same level.

So, Ethan's first order after stepping in was to set up a dedicated studio, gathering the best comic artists to create a brand-new series.

"We'll call this world Supercyc for now," Ethan said to Logan Urther, the chief comic artist at Valiant Comics.

"Supercyc?" Logan Urther frowned, trying to figure out the meaning behind the name.

"It's simple—Superpowers, Cyberpunk, Cthulhu." Ethan smiled. "I just took one syllable from each."

"I see… but can these elements really be combined?" Logan still wasn't sure about Ethan's vision—it felt too ambitious.

"Of course, they can." Ethan pulled out a world-building document he had spent the past year writing and explained to Logan:

"First, this is a superpowered universe, where a mysterious force exists throughout the cosmos. People call it Chaos."

"From Chaos, ancient, wise, and indescribable beings were born. They exist in the shadows of the world and are the true creators of everything."

"But among them, there are also entities dedicated solely to destruction and annihilation. These beings are even more terrifying, more nightmarish. Their purpose is to transcend, and to do so, they devour entire universes."

"To counter them, the creators scattered their seeds. These seeds gave rise to various species across the galaxy—humanity being one of them."

"But since humans developed too slowly, the creators had to protect them."

"How did they protect them? … The Sun, the Moon, and even the distant galaxy. They're all fake. Just props on a stage, ready to be taken away by the creators at any moment."

"Humans amuse themselves on this stage, unaware of the truth. Only a few individuals with heightened perception have discovered fragments of reality. These people travel the world, forming various organizations, uncovering knowledge, and making breakthroughs."

"Of course, some who gained superpowers chose indulgence instead. They built massive corporations, monopolized everything, and locked society under their control."

"And CPH4…" Ethan tapped the table. "It's a plant that evolved from the creators' intelligence seeds. Through scientific extraction, it became a rare substance. It's not a drug—the reason it's so addictive is because humans are obsessed with wisdom. When someone takes it, they experience the illusion of comprehending the entire universe."

"But not everyone is compatible with it. Most people die from massive internal bleeding after consumption."

"Only Lucy—she is the perfect match for CPH4."

Logan Urther suddenly understood. "So when Lucy takes it, she gains superpowers? But why does her body start aging?"

"Because this substance was originally meant to create gods. But Lucy isn't a god—she's just a human. As her brain evolves, her fragile body can't keep up. Her brain keeps consuming her body's nutrients, which is why she's dying despite gaining superpowers."

"So the real solution… is actually to stop taking CPH4?" Logan was now fully immersed in the plot.

"Exactly. But the doctor and everyone else misjudged the situation. Because they never truly understood what they were dealing with."

Ethan smiled. "You could say… this is fate playing a cruel joke. A twist of destiny."

"Right." Now that he understood the key concept, Logan was completely fascinated by the story. He saw so many aspects worth exploring—

The relationship between superhumans and regular people, the impact of cybernetic enhancements on humanity, and the ultimate question: when would humans finally uncover the truth about the universe?

These mysteries alone could support an entire comic universe. Logan could already picture the moment when powerful superheroes finally realized they had been living in a cage all along.

That would be a revelation—one that shatters the world and rewrites reality!

.....

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