America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 248 Success and Failure

In the outdoor shooting range, Martin held the M9 pistol tightly in both hands and moved quickly with tactical movements. As the gunshots continued, the gangsters fell one by one.

In the safety zone outside the stadium, club owner Kane said: "You have good marksmanship. You are definitely one of the best in Hollywood."

Bruce, who was also a military man and shared the same topic with him, continued: "He has some talent and is willing to spend time practicing."

Chad asked curiously, "Why?"

Bruce explained simply: "In a place like the one we live in, guns are a basic requirement for civilized life."

The gunfire stopped at this point, and Martin turned off the safety and walked out of the shooting range.

Kane glanced at the stopwatch in his hand: "1 minute and 55 seconds, and no mistakes, this result is quite good. Even if I play, I won't be much better than you."

Martin put away his gun and asked, "Is this what the community shooting competition is?"

Kane shook his head: "No, it's better than fixed target shooting."

"That's my specialty." Martin boasted without any hesitation: "Whether it's a pistol or a rifle, I can definitely do it with full marks!"

Kane laughed: "Today I met a competitor."

A staff member came over and said, "Boss, Marcus is here, and he brought his two dogs with him."

Kane said this and walked back.

Martin and the other two simply went back inside together.

The man who came to see Kane was a strong man with a beard, holding two dogs.

Kane asked, "Are you going back to Afghanistan?"

Marcus squatted beside the dogs: "They can only be fostered at your place."

"You guys always leave your pets with me." Kane went over and stroked the dog's head: "Should I charge you double the price?"

Marcus just smiled and looked behind Kane.

Kane said, "Let me introduce you to some new friends. With more friends, it will be easier for you to find a new job when you retire from the army."

He called a staff member, took the two dogs away first, and then brought Marcus to Martin and others and introduced them one by one.

Although Marcus is not a fan, he still took a photo with Martin.

Several people came to the rest area and sat together chatting.

Marcus is currently serving in Afghanistan. He is back on vacation and will return to Afghanistan in a few days.

Bruce was a military man and was very curious about the situation in Afghanistan. He also had common topics with Marcus and Harold, and they had a lively conversation.

Martin would occasionally interject a word or two.

Chad also asked a lot of questions.

Marcus was very interested in Chad and kept talking about action director topics: "I have a colleague who joined the army and worked as an extra in Hollywood. He suggested that I consider this career after leaving the army."

Having just met, Chad couldn't describe the hardships involved, so he said vaguely, "Hollywood shoots a lot of gunfight scenes every year."

Marcus said, "I will be discharged from the army next year. When I come back from Afghanistan, I will ask you for advice."

Chad responded: "No problem, you have my contact information, you can call me anytime."

Martin and Bruce looked at each other and felt something was wrong.

Chad, a veteran stuntman who had been in Hollywood for more than a decade, also heard something wrong.

According to the model of Hollywood movies, Marcus' words were definitely raising the flag.

In Hollywood movies, anyone who says something like this is doomed to fail.

Marcus didn't stay long and quickly said goodbye and left.

Martin and others went to the fixed target range to continue practicing shooting.

At noon, Thomas called, and Martin and others finished their lunch nearby and rushed to the studio.

Martin has enough money on hand. Davis Image Studio officially moved out of the Pacific Pictures office building this month and rented the second floor of Warner Studios diagonally opposite as an office space.

The equipment is relatively simple. After all, it is a shell company for convenient investment and legal tax avoidance.

When Martin arrived, Thomas and Jessica were already waiting in the reception room.

The former said: "There are some circumstances regarding the negotiations in the Dark Realm that I need to explain to you."

Martin originally thought that he would be able to obtain the copyright smoothly: "Are there any competitors?"

"No." Thomas said, "It's more troublesome than I thought. Alan Green is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which is similar to the Actors Guild. They sent representatives to participate in the negotiations. In addition, the publisher of the book is Random House, the largest publisher in North America, and the adaptation rights cannot be bypassed by them."

Martin pointed out the key point in one sentence: "Copyright fees?"

Thomas said, "They wanted $30 upfront, plus a share of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association's money."

Martin could understand this. By joining the association and paying membership fees, the association would naturally guarantee the interests of its members. Its model was similar to that of the Screenwriters Guild.

Therefore, as long as the conditions are right, screenwriters or writers will actively join their respective organizations. Martin said directly: "The copyright fees should be reduced as much as possible, and the share of the profits in the later stage can only be the lowest."

Thomas checked the time and called Jessica, "Let's go, let's go again and try to reach a deal today."

If Jessica can be brought out earlier, he, as the agent, can be relieved.

These things are not part of the normal work scope of a broker.

But Thomas had no choice, as Martin was the only client he had who could support him.

Two days later, the film and television adaptation rights of "Dark Realm" were officially negotiated, with an upfront fee of US$20 plus the minimum 0.55 share of the North American box office as stipulated by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

As a member of the Actors Guild, Martin enjoys the convenience and rights brought by the union and feels that American unions are really great.

When he, as an employer, faced other organizations such as trade unions and associations, he cursed at them and wanted to shoot them all.

The relationship between the butt and the head is really complicated.

After getting "Dark Field", Martin also met with the screenwriter Bradt, who had worked with him on Wanted. The latter said that he had to read the novel carefully before determining whether he was qualified.

For screenwriters, just like actors and directors, if a project fails, it will inevitably affect their future.

As for the director, Martin can only be sure that the film will definitely not be directed by a top-notch director like David Fincher, but he has no idea who the director will be. He can only wait until the project has a prototype and then recruit a suitable director.

There are two projects, "I Am Legend" and "The Prestige", and the former brought bad news.

Thomas made initial contact with producer David Heyman.

"Martin has been working with Warner Bros. on a long-running project, including the upcoming film Wanted, and I'm well aware of that."

David Heyman knew that Martin had connections above him and below him, so he spoke to Thomas politely: "I watched the internal preview of Wanted. It's a very cool movie. Martin's acting skills and charm exploded. With my many years of experience in the industry, this movie will be a success without any surprises."

Thomas just laughed and said that these were the truth. Warner Bros. had an internal preview of "Wanted" which received a very good response.

The truth is often followed by another meaning.

Sure enough, David Heyman added: "I am personally very optimistic about Martin's future development. In a few years, he may carry the box office alone, but the project "I Am Legend" will start shooting next year. This is a one-man show. What is needed is a superstar who can carry the entire movie alone with his personal charm."

At this point, Thomas knew that Martin had no chance, but he still faced it with a smile and tried his best to build good relationships with first-line producers like David Heyman.

He said: "Martin performed the model of one man, one dog and one gun very well in "The Hills Have Eyes."

David Heyman agrees: "Strictly speaking, it was the success of this film that prompted me to make up my mind to push forward with I Am Legend."

Thomas lamented: "We met at the wrong time. It's a pity that we missed each other."

David Heyman smiled and said politely: "There will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Looking at the whole Hollywood, there will be no more than five suitable actors for this project."

Thomas asked tentatively, "David, who do you like?"

David Heyman thought about it and said directly: "I have invited Will Smith, and he is still considering it."

Thomas has completely given up. Martin is now much worse than Will Smith.

If it weren't for the heroic effects of the Burbank High School incident and the spy incident, we would only be able to see Will Smith's back.

A salary of 20 million US dollars plus the share of the post-production is huge!

Thomas left Warner Bros. with a heavy heart. This time, he handled the situation on his own without Martin's help.

"I still have a long way to go. Only when Martin becomes a superstar will I be qualified to be a partner of the company." Thomas touched his receding hairline and walked forward quickly with his bag. "I believe in Martin. I can't relax. A million-dollar fortune is already beckoning to me."

He then found Daniel, and through Daniel's relationship, he met Nolan's wife Emma Thomas and had a cup of coffee.

This is a very savvy British woman who forms a husband-and-wife team with director Nolan.

One is responsible for filming and production, and the other manages the set and logistics.

Warner Bros. has given the green light to The Prestige.

After a brief chat, Thomas immediately abandoned his plan to use nuclear weapons on Mene.

Emma Thomas has a good relationship with Nolan, and letting Mene lick her at this time will only have a negative effect.

Thomas introduced Martin's information and the recommendation of Daniel, who was familiar to both parties, to Emma Thomas in order to seek opportunities for cooperation.

With the revitalization of Batman, the most important asset of Warner Bros. and DC, the Nolans have more or less a say in their own film projects.

Thomas, for his part, is busy trying to secure new roles and job opportunities for Martin.

Martin is also very busy.

After more than half a month of negotiations, Ernie Lively got the script for a campus comedy. Once both parties sign the buyout contract, he will return to Los Angeles with the Blake siblings.

Blake's project is about to be officially launched, and Martin is also promoting the new film.

The two sides hit it off and decided to use Martin and Blake as the hot spots to attract attention and promote publicity.

A relative from my hometown has come to see a doctor these days, so I have to go to the hospital frequently. I will try my best to keep updating twice a day. Middle-aged man...

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(End of this chapter)