The richest actor in Hollywood.

Previously, at the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean 3," Andrew Stanton mentioned that this was a super project with a budget exceeding $200 million. Receiving the script, Matthew took it very seriously, cancelling his evening date with Alexandra Daddario to return to Horner Manor and review Andrew Stanton's script thoroughly.

After brewing a cup of tea, Matthew sat in his study, logged into his private encrypted email, found Andrew Stanton's email, and downloaded the attached document.

He sipped his tea before opening the document.

The first page displayed the title, different from the original novel "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. There were three titles on the page.

It was clear Andrew Stanton didn't intend to use the original title "A Princess of Mars."

The three titles were "John Carter of Mars," "Mars War," and "Alien Battlefield."

Seeing the first page, Matthew paused. "John Carter of Mars" and "Mars War" were typical Hollywood movie titles, akin to "Star Wars."

But "Alien Battlefield" seemed very familiar.

Matthew stared at the computer screen, soon realizing this familiarity didn't come from current Hollywood but from a movie he had seen!

Suddenly, he recalled familiar plot elements from the original novel...

Had he misjudged before? The familiar novel plot wasn't because "A Princess of Mars" was similar to some junior web novel but because he had seen a similar movie before?

With this thought, Matthew found "Alien Battlefield" increasingly familiar. It seemed like he had downloaded a pirated movie with this title.

Thinking of this, Matthew quickly moved the mouse to check the script. Andrew Stanton had said he would significantly adapt the original. Maybe the script's plot settings would trigger more memories.

Many forgotten memories resurface when stimulated.

Unlike his cursory reading of "Cloud Atlas," he read Andrew Stanton's script very carefully.

This wasn't just because of the high investment but also the director. The Wachowskis' style pursued depth and philosophical thinking, which he found terrifying. Besides "The Matrix" series, most of their other films were flops.

He didn't remember much about Andrew Stanton, but his career from joining Pixar to now was illustrious.

Andrew Stanton's first directed film was the famous "Finding Nemo," which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and won Best Animated Feature. He also wrote or produced "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," and "Monsters, Inc."

Though he hadn't directed live-action films, Andrew Stanton clearly understood what types would be popular in the film market.

With this in mind, Matthew spent most of the evening seriously reading Andrew Stanton's script.

Perhaps genuinely stimulated by the script, he remembered some things and realized his thoughts on Andrew Stanton might not be correct.

"A master of animated films..." he muttered, leaning back in his chair, "isn't necessarily a good live-action director."

Like most novel adaptations, this script significantly deviated from the original, and Andrew Stanton's adaptation seemed even more familiar!

The script depicted a traumatized former Civil War officer, John Carter, accidentally transported to Mars. Due to differing gravity, Earth being larger than Mars, John Carter became a superhuman with immense strength and leaping abilities, embroiled in conflicts among various Martian factions, entangled with a beautiful princess, brave allies, and cunning enemies.

Many scenes described John Carter leaping like a frog...

"Alien Battlefield," with a hero leaping like a frog on an alien planet, becoming a savior, wooing a beautiful princess, and mysterious alien guests, ending with a fake death to kill an alien guest...

The more he read, the more familiar it felt. He vaguely remembered a film he deleted after one viewing.

Andrew Stanton's project seemed like a disastrous failure of a movie!

To be sure, Matthew reread the script, feeling increasingly confident. He even recalled why "Alien Battlefield" seemed familiar.

In the smartphone era's internet, many browser apps pushed articles based on frequently viewed content. He often read film-related news to find new movies to download. Some public accounts loved bundling similar movies together.

Like the best war films, best horror films, and funniest comedies.

Another category frequently appeared on movie accounts—the world's most money-losing films.

He vaguely remembered that "Alien Battlefield," along with Elizabeth Taylor's "Cleopatra," the bankrupting "Cutthroat Island," Kevin Costner's flop "Waterworld," and Warner Bros.' "Batman & Robin," frequently topped these lists.

If his memories were correct, "Alien Battlefield" was an epic financial disaster.

Matthew suddenly remembered Andrew Stanton's words: This project's budget would exceed $200 million...

If such a high-investment film flopped spectacularly, it would ruin not just him but even Tom Cruise. For stars without strong backing and capital, it could destroy their careers.

He closed the document, quickly deciding to decline Andrew Stanton's invitation. Helen Herman had also mentioned that Andrew Stanton wanted him partly because the military action male lead suited him and partly to attract investment.

Attract investment? Matthew slapped his leg.

He had been looking for a money pit. Wasn't this it? With a production budget exceeding $200 million, Andrew Stanton needed funding, and the male lead role suited Brad Pitt...

His mind quickly turned, considering how to link Andrew Stanton with Brad Pitt, preferably before "Cloud Atlas" released.

Although Plan B Entertainment hadn't announced a release date, following Hollywood's usual production patterns and the Wachowskis' shooting and post-production speed, "Cloud Atlas" would likely need a year for pre-production and another year for filming, post-production, and marketing. The earliest release would be the summer of 2009, but it could be delayed to 2010 due to its complexity.

Matthew shut down the computer, allowing the study to be completely silent, even turning off the lights to think quietly in the dark.

Half an hour later, his thoughts cleared. This wasn't a must-do, but worth trying. If Brad Pitt didn't fall into the pit, he couldn't force him in. Thus, he had to control the time and effort reasonably.

As before, he wouldn't contact Pitt directly. He would just dig the pit. Whether Pitt fell in depended entirely on himself.

Matthew stood up and left the study, with a rough plan in mind. But there was no rush since there wasn't detailed news from Andrew Stanton yet.

He would maintain contact with Andrew Stanton, looking for the right opportunity.

As for how to pass the message to Brad Pitt, that needed careful consideration.

Leaving the study and returning to the bedroom, Matthew called Alexandra Daddario, who was still awake. They talked for about ten minutes.

Then, unable to resist, he drove from Warner Manor to Evergreen Residence in northern Burbank.

Compared to sleeping alone, he preferred to ride the waves, even if those waves were mountainous and stormy. They couldn't suppress his conquering spirit.

Facing the waves, he would stand firm, skillfully breaking through the suffocating giant waves.

Memorial Day passed as Matthew battled the waves. The next morning, he personally drove Alexandra Daddario to Warner Bros. studio, receiving the latest box office report for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End" en route.

On the past Monday, the film maintained high attendance and screenings, earning over $20 million, pushing the North American total to $160.37 million, continuing its box office success.

On the other hand, overseas box office reports showed "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End" opened simultaneously in 73 markets, grossing $378.9 million globally in just one week.

The film would release in more overseas markets in the coming weeks.

However, due to censorship and other factors, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End" would open three weeks later in markets across the Pacific compared to North America.

After dropping Alexandra Daddario at Warner Bros., Matthew headed to Skydance Productions, owned by David Ellison. There was an interview today to decide the director for the "Fast and Furious" series.

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