Hollywood Drawing

As a large number of excited fans began to leave the theater, the premiere was basically over.

Facing the guests who lined up to come forward to congratulate him, Wayne took the initiative to give up his seat and pushed Zack Snyder to the front of the stage. Seeing the huge response caused by the film, the excited Zack Snyder's face turned red, and at the same time he dispelled most of his uneasiness.

The same was true for the subsequent press conferences. After only showing one side at the beginning, Wayne gave up the center of the media, left the press conference in a low-key manner, and walked to the hotel opposite in advance.

Just as he said, today's protagonist is Zack Snyder and several main actors in the crew. He can stir up disputes without hesitation to attract attention, and use media controversies to attract the attention of movie fans, but all of this is for the film's box office, not to steal unnecessary limelight.

At the same time as the premiere ended, "The Matrix" also opened 2,000 advance screenings in major cities across North America. In this regard, it is not much different from "The Incredible Hulk", which also has about 2,000 advance screenings.

On Friday, that is, early tomorrow morning, "The Matrix" will open in 3,023 theaters across the United States, officially landing in the North American theater market, and competing head-on with "The Incredible Hulk" which opened in 3,057 theaters during the same period.

Therefore, the early box office is very important, which means which film can get the first move and gain first-mover advantage in the fierce competition on the first weekend.

If we only compare the party scene after the premiere, there is no doubt that the "Matrix" side is even more star-studded. The primary purpose of most of the guests on the stage is for this cocktail party. Socializing is always the theme of such an occasion.

Wayne went around the cocktail party, greeted all his acquaintances, and was about to go back, but he was once again detained by Nicolas Cage who came up to him.

Today's Nicolas Cage is much more mature than he was three years ago. The most obvious feature is that at least the literary and artistic style he always exuded has disappeared, which also means that this big star has officially understood the importance of business. sex.

"The Matrix will definitely be a hit. This movie is very unexpected." With a smile on his clear face, he touched the champagne with Wayne, took a big sip, and pointed to the surrounding environment. said. "Can we find a place to chat?"

"ok."

Wayne nodded, and with two women, Nina and Naomi Watts, stopped an adaptor. Under the leadership of the adaptor, the group walked into a lounge.

After the adaptor brought in a few cups of coffee and closed the door, Nicolas Cage glanced at the two women hesitantly and said, "Wayne, is the second Batman movie going to start production soon?"

"The initial date is around early October."

Without any intention of hiding anything, Wayne directly gave the specific date. After speaking, he took out a cigarette from Nina's handbag, lit one with a click, and observed the big star through the smoke.

In fact, the purpose of the other party's search was clear to both of them. They were just thinking about the clown's role in the second film.

But Wayne hasn't decided on the candidate yet. He's busy enough during this period, and he will be even busier in the future. Besides, there are still a few months until the filming of the second part, which gives him enough time to consider the pros and cons.

"About the role of the Joker..." Nicolas Cage was also observing the other party. Seeing that he did not show any other expressions, he simply put away all hesitation and said directly:

"Although it's a little early to say this now, I still want to communicate with you that I am fully prepared to play the role of the Joker again. You know, losing weight again has never been a problem for me."

After secretly observing the other party, Wayne nodded. This is indeed a troublesome thing. The actor who plays the clown must be thin enough. This is an image that cannot be changed on the screen. If the candidate can be confirmed now, it will also help the actor's body shaping. .

After all, not everyone can lose weight and gain weight quickly within three months like Christian Bale. This requires innate physical talent and strong self-discipline.

Sometimes physical talent really outweighs hard work. Gaining weight and losing weight is easy to say, but in practice it has always been an international problem. In Wayne's memory, the Oscar-winning film "Green Book" invested by Ma's father tortured the protagonist Viggo Mortensen until life was worse than death.

Before the filming of "Green Book" started, he needed to gain more than 40 pounds. Sadly, it was not until long after signing the actor's contract that the production company and crew discovered that he was a rare talent. A physique that is not prone to obesity.

So when I was working on the set later, I had to eat a nutritious and fattening meal every two or three hours. Viggo Mortensen always forgot to eat, and his weight kept going up and down.

In the end, the crew had no choice but to send a nutritionist to supervise him to start eating at the right time. The strange scene of him being told to stop eating halfway through the filming happened every day on the crew. Even after a hard day's work, he had to go crazy in front of the nutritionist. Eat a fried chicken burger to fall asleep.

The weekend rest day is a rare time for him to relax. As a result, he missed a few meals during the two days of relaxation. When he returned to the set on Monday, he was a little smaller. When he was changing clothes before starting work, he found that his pants were loose...

Situations like this are not uncommon. When they occur, it means that the actors themselves are tortured, and the crew also has to extend the shooting time.

"Nicola, we are old friends." Wayne thought for a few minutes, took a sip of coffee and moistened his throat. "So I won't use that excuse to say that it's inappropriate to discuss work without an agent. I have indeed been considering whether to use you or not. Everyone knows the benefits of joining the Batman series, but there is one thing that makes people hesitate..."

Nicolas Cage saw something interesting and immediately spoke. "What, just say it."

"Pay!"

Now that he had started talking, he didn't hide it. "With your current value in the industry, it is too high for the Batman series! Let me be clear, the investment in the DC comic series is already very large, so I have no intention of hiring big names. This is related to whether the funds are as much as possible. Most of it is spent on film production." The further a sequel film is made, the more terrifying the remuneration required for the director and actors will be. This is almost unavoidable.

Now that this series has just begun, Wayne's plan is very clear. Except for Christian Bale, no one is irreplaceable, and the main actors have signed contracts, so there is no way for him to open his mouth.

"I can give up my basic salary..."

"No." As soon as the other party started speaking, he was interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Nicholas, I won't hide it from you. In the DC comic superhero series, especially the Batman movies, Warner Bros. will not offer a share contract to anyone except me. So, if you want to continue to star, Arthur, the only way is to reduce your salary."

These words made Nicolas Cage fall into silence, and the two women on the side could see that he was struggling.

The reason why he never forgets the role of the Joker and wants to play it again is because this role has brought him so much brilliance. He wants to once again use this familiar image to awaken the memory of him among movie fans around the world and improve his reputation in the industry. Cafe inside.

But Batman is not a literary film, it is a commercial film with a red heart. It is taboo for a star to lower his or her status for a big commercial production. No famous actor is willing to do this.

Originally, he had no shortage of invitations, but there was also a clown on the other side. Nicolas Cage was caught in a dilemma.

"Give me some time and let me go back and discuss it carefully with my agent. I will give you a reply as soon as possible."

It wasn't until Wayne was about to finish smoking his cigarette that an answer came from the other side. But this is normal. Nicolas Cage is no longer the artistic young actor, and it is even less likely that he will agree to anything on impulse without any worries.

"Before August."

Wayne stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, stood up and adjusted his suit jacket, saying: "I will wait for you until August. These two months are enough time for you to think about it. If you are still not sure by August, I will Find other actors from scratch."

After saying that, he left the lounge with the two women, said hello to the crew and creators who were entertaining guests outside, left the hotel early, got in the car and drove towards Beverly.

Nicolas Cage did not move in the lounge. He had been sitting on the sofa, frowning and thinking. This matter was different from what he had originally imagined. From Wayne's attitude just now, we can find out who is interested in who will play the role of the Joker. Didn't care much.

"does it worth?"

Sofia Coppola didn't know when she came, and her sudden question interrupted his thoughts of calculating gains and losses.

"You don't understand." Looking at his cousin, Nicolas Cage raised his hand irritably and rubbed his forehead vigorously. "Although I am not lacking in various invitations now, there is no opportunity for me to go further. Playing the clown again is a very good opportunity for me."

The main purpose of coming today. The two of them had talked many times before. Sofia Coppola patted his arm but did not give her own opinion. This was related to the other person's career, and even relatives could not do anything about it. Speak easily.

On this Thursday night, countless movie fans who were unwilling to wait poured into the cinema, wanting to watch the movie they had been looking forward to for months earlier and enjoy this summer movie viewing feast.

The premiere parties on both sides are still going on, but the atmosphere is completely different. Zack Snyder, along with the crew and creators, grinned and frequently toasted to the guests who came to support them, even if they had to board a flight to New York early tomorrow morning to start the American premiere. Promotional tour.

Warner Bros. executives had no plans to work overtime, including CEO Jeff Robinoff, who finished the day early and went home to rest, and even Wayne was no exception.

On the Universal Pictures side, it was just the opposite. Producer Brian Grazer and director Bill Beckby only walked around the party for a while before joining Justin back to his office, anxiously waiting for the early ticket sales. statistics.