The richest actor in Hollywood.

Holding the plan, Matthew first went to Warner Bros. Studio to pick up Alexandra Daddario. They then went to her apartment in North Hollywood, where Alexandra had prepared dinner. After dinner, Matthew took Justin Lin's plan and began to read it seriously. Although Alexandra's body captivated him, he wouldn't forget his work because of it.

"Did everything go well today?" Alexandra Daddario, sitting on the opposite sofa, asked with concern, "Did you finalize the director?"

Matthew's eyes did not leave the plan. "No. But we have a candidate."

He lifted the plan and shook it. "This is his shooting and production plan. I've just read a small part, and it looks good."

Alexandra Daddario nodded. Seeing that Matthew's attention was entirely on the plan, she closed her mouth and fiddled with her phone.

Matthew glanced at her and continued reading Justin Lin's plan.

The plan was very comprehensive, covering all aspects and was a hundred times more convincing than those who think they can get the job with mere talk. Whether aiming for a director or a key role in a crew, you can't just talk; you have to prove you can do it.

It was clear from the plan that Justin Lin had done a lot of preparation for this director position.

He mentioned the concept of family: anyone who harms my family will be pursued relentlessly. He included extravagant explosions and car chase scenes that audiences love. There were even sketches of car designs and more.

The plan also highlighted an overlooked detail by Matthew and the screenwriters: Justin Lin believed that this fourth installment should serve as a bridge, perfecting and determining the style of the entire series.

Besides these, Justin Lin had personally hired a survey company for targeted market research. The research showed that seventy-five percent of the audience for the first three films were young fans under the age of twenty-five, with fifty-five percent being male and forty-five percent female.

This almost completely matched the preliminary sample survey results from Skydance Pictures.

Seeing Matthew engrossed in work, Alexandra Daddario picked up a newspaper from today and started reading. When she came across a piece of news, she said to Matthew, "There's an interview with Brad Pitt here."

Matthew looked up and asked, "About what?"

"About the movie 'Cloud Atlas.'" Alexandra quickly browsed through it and summarized, "Brad Pitt said the film entered early development in June and will officially start pre-production by the end of this year or early next year. He also announced the main creative team for the film."

"Who's involved?" Matthew asked.

Alexandra replied, "The directors are the Wachowski siblings, who are also producers. Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are both lead actors and producers. Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, and Jim Broadbent have also agreed to play respective roles."

She looked up at Matthew. "The Wachowski siblings have strong influence."

Matthew nodded lightly. "That's normal. The influence of the 'Matrix' series still exists."

If the Wachowski siblings didn't have influence, people like Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman wouldn't work with them.

"Natalie Portman is also a producer!" Alexandra said with some admiration, "Not many actresses can also serve as producers, right?"

Matthew said calmly, "Only a few top-tier stars can do that."

Alexandra added, "And Brad Pitt mentioned that Natalie Portman has just become a UNICEF ambassador and will attend a global conference on women, children, and refugee issues in Geneva later this year."

She spoke with a hint of admiration, "Natalie Portman has really elevated her profile."

Then she looked at Matthew and laughed, "You've also elevated your profile."

Matthew smiled but did not respond, continuing to read the plan.

Alexandra asked, "Aren't you a goodwill ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency? Will you attend this conference too?"

"Helen has already received the invitation from the UNHCR."

At this point, Matthew suddenly closed the plan and asked Alexandra, "Did you say Natalie Portman is also a producer for 'Cloud Atlas'?"

"Were you listening to me?" Alexandra first complained, then nodded, "Yes."

She picked up the newspaper and shook it at Matthew. "Brad Pitt said in the interview that he suggested Natalie Portman take on the producer role."

Matthew tapped his fingers lightly. Brad Pitt allowing Natalie Portman to co-produce indicated that their relationship was good, at least during the filming of "Cloud Atlas." Moreover, Brad Pitt was introduced to the Wachowski siblings by Natalie Portman.

With this in mind, he took out his phone and sent a text message to Helen Herman.

Initially, after receiving the invitation from the UNHCR, he was hesitant about attending the conference in Geneva. Now he decided to go and asked Helen Herman to coordinate his schedule.

He would make a special trip to Geneva.

After receiving a reply from Helen Herman, Matthew put away Justin Lin's plan, walked over to Alexandra Daddario, took her hand, and led her to the bedroom.

Work was temporarily paused; it was time for some leisure and enjoyment.

Early the next morning, Matthew received a call from Akiva Goldsman and went to Warner Bros. Studio to get the latest version of the "Hancock" script from him. Akiva had revised the script many times and assured Matthew this was the final version for filming.

Matthew had no choice but to put aside the previous script and study the new one. The new script maintained the thematic framework but adjusted many scenes. Specifically, the pace of the entire film was faster, the plot simpler, and the atmosphere lighter.

He then contacted Charlize Theron. She wasn't in Los Angeles; Akiva Goldsman had already sent the script to her in South Africa by airmail.

While handling other work, Matthew also needed to prepare for the shooting of "Hancock." The crew had been very accommodating, postponing the shooting date to mid-July to fit his schedule for promoting "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Transformers."

Now, in the summer blockbuster season, with two films directly related to him being released, Matthew often left Los Angeles for promotional activities. One day, he was promoting "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," and the next day, he was on stage for "Transformers."

The "Transformers" crew, building on his comments about toys and nostalgia, developed a comprehensive nostalgia marketing plan. Even before its release, the film generated considerable buzz in North America, especially among the fans. They reminisced about their childhood memories with Transformers through various media, online platforms, and social networks.

The impact of nostalgia marketing easily surpassed the previous campaign to choose Optimus Prime's line, even though the chosen line, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings," was very powerful.

This was also the philosophy of Optimus Prime in the movie, providing a justified basis for his role as a defender of humanity.

Busy from early June to late June, the promotional tours for these two films temporarily ended, allowing Matthew to focus on other matters.

First, he turned his attention to Plan B Entertainment and the "Cloud Atlas" project. Helen Herman and Bella Anderson were closely monitoring Brad Pitt and the Wachowski siblings. The "Cloud Atlas" project was very high-profile, being Plan B's second-highest investment film since "Troy." Unlike "Troy," which had Warner Bros. co-investing to share the risk, "Cloud Atlas" was being handled independently by Plan B.

To promote and expand its influence, the project had been very high-profile, with various pieces of information easily accessible. "Cloud Atlas" had a production budget of $100 million, with Brad Pitt personally raising $40 million. Plan B secured the remaining $60 million through a film fund and pre-sales.

Plan B also reached an agreement with Sony Columbia Pictures for global distribution.

Bella Anderson also shared some gossip: recently, Natalie Portman and Brad Pitt had been very close, causing friction with Angelina Jolie, reportedly leading to a big argument between Jolie and Pitt.

In summary, the "Cloud Atlas" project was progressing smoothly and everything was on track.

Having addressed these matters, Matthew took time to meet with Justin Lin a few times. Bearded Jack's team had completed their evaluation, concluding that Justin Lin was the most suitable director for the subsequent "Fast & Furious" films under the current conditions.

Helen Herman had a similar opinion.

After discussing with David Ellison, Matthew decided to hire Justin Lin and officially signed a director contract with him at the end of June. Due to his previous failure with "Tokyo Drift," Justin Lin's director fee was very low. Skydance Pictures naturally negotiated the price down to $1.5 million.

Moreover, Matthew adopted Marvel's approach, signing Justin Lin for a trilogy of films.

Of course, the contract had a clause: if the fourth film's box office didn't meet expectations, Justin Lin would be out.

With these matters settled, Matthew could now attend the premiere of "Transformers" with peace of mind.

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