Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 158 It’s a Small World

In his previous life, during the era of mobile internet when short videos were rampant, Ethan had seen a video like this: "Look carefully, this man's name is Xiao Shuai, there is a monster attached to his face, and his neck is tightly entangled by the monster's tail, but strangely, he did not die because of it..."

As the dubbing played, a yellowish-brown soft-bodied creature that looked like a crab appeared on the screen, sucking on Xiaoshuai's face.

The disgusting and bizarre scene will cause some people to feel physically uncomfortable. If the AI ​​is still Yun Xi, who has been overused, the discomfort will be even stronger. But these are actually not important, because the key to the story is the soft-bodied monster, and it is the facehugger.

Yes!

In the future, the face hugger will be very famous!

It is not only a well-known star monster in the science fiction circle, but also a fantasy character that has become popular outside the circle. The work that created it and brought it to the world is a series of movies called——

"Alien".

That's right!

When Ethan saw the word Facehugger, he was shocked!
Although Alien does not have the exaggerated global influence of Star Wars, and its ability to attract money is far less than that of Jurassic Park, which is popular among all ages, it will always have a place in the history of science fiction no matter how many years pass. This is not only because the monsters in the movie have become synonymous with horror and an indelible cultural symbol, but also because the first version of the movie is a milestone in the science fiction genre. Before the appearance of Alien, most of the science fiction movies of mankind were filled with beautiful thoughts, such as Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Most people thought that humans could live in peace with aliens, but after the appearance of Alien, the ultimate evil that represented the dark forest was finally served to the audience by the creators.

Even before Ethan traveled through time, this decades-long series had already been filmed to pieces, and the disastrous box office results had left countless practitioners at a loss as to how to restart the series. But even so, the series still has its glorious side.

Because of it, three world-class directors were born.

The first one is Ridley Scott, who directed "Blade Runner", "Thelma and Louise", "Gladiator", "Black Hawk Down" and "The Martian", and he is the first director of "Alien".

The second is James Cameron, who made "Terminator", "Titanic" and "Avatar", and he is the second-generation director of "Alien".

The third is David Fincher, who directed "Seven", "Fight Club", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "The Social Network" and "House of Cards". He is the third-generation director of "Alien".

When a series has three famous directors...

Anyone who has a passion for the art of film will basically pay attention to it.

Ethan liked their movies, so he had a very deep impression of the "Alien" series. Because of this, when he found out that the guy who met him at the "Star Wars" movie celebration party was the screenwriter of "Alien" and that the script "Star Monsters", which sounded like a failure at first glance, was actually the original name of "Alien", he quickly read the story in his hand.

And after he finished reading...

Good guy!
The man in front of me who calls himself Ronald Shusett doesn't seem to be joking!
Although he could no longer remember the plot of "Alien", the description in the script in his hand was basically the same as the movie he saw in his previous life!
"Mr. Shusett, although I don't know much about the film industry, I can see that your script is very well done. I can't give you a score from a professional perspective, but I personally think that a script of this level should be easy to sell, right? So..."

"What on earth do you want to do with me?"

Ethan placed the finished script on the coffee table.

He spread his arms and placed them on the back of the sofa, raised his right leg, and his toes were trembling.

Although he was shocked, he still had to behave like a big shot since others asked him for help.

Style~
"Mr. Jones, you are too modest."

From the moment Ethan opened the script, Ronald Shusett's expression instantly tensed up, but as time passed and he finished reading the draft of the script, his frown gradually relaxed.

When Ethan said that his script was highly completed, the guy who had been sitting there with his head held high also smiled in gratitude. But when Ethan said that this kind of script should be easy to sell, a lot of regret gathered on the guy's face, and he replied: "Mr. Jones, Hollywood has never lacked complete scripts. Major studios buy a lot of scripts on the market every year, but less than one percent of them can be made into movies."

"Among them, some scripts have good stories, but the content may not meet people's current aesthetic tastes, so they are shelved by the studios; some have good stories, but the funds involved in filming are beyond the studios' expectations; some have excellent stories, but the content may not be realized due to technical reasons; and some have great stories, so well-known that no one dares to shoot them."

"Although there are many reasons why filming cannot be done, all projects have one thing in common, that is, the script is good. Therefore, in our industry, a good script is not even an advantage, because there must be many equally good scripts in Hollywood."

"Oh——" Ethan understood and laughed knowingly.

Ronald Shusett did not hesitate and continued, "The script you see was actually written as early as 1975. Of course, the version at that time is different from the current version because we have made a lot of revisions to the script in the past few years."

"But no matter how we modify the script, no studio is willing to take it over, because they are not interested in science fiction, and they are even less optimistic about the science fiction horror genre. So far, we have not found any investors willing to bring this story to the screen."

"The main reason why I brought it to you is because I heard some news, some well-known news. At the beginning of this year, when everyone thought that the movie "Star Wars" would fail, only you and director Steven Spielberg thought that director George Lucas would succeed. In addition to supporting him, you also made a game for the movie "Star Wars". This kind of help made me think that you might like the theme of science fiction. Director Steven Spielberg also became a first-line star with horror movies such as "Jaws". So, when you and they became friends, the idea of ​​trying my luck came to my mind."

“And here, I am also very grateful for giving me this opportunity.”

Perhaps it was because he had encountered too many setbacks and failures that Ronald Shusett dared not keep the secret, but it was also possible that Ethan's joy made him see hope. In short, when he explained his purpose to Ethan, his tone was very sincere and his description was very direct.

And when Ethan learned that the copyright of "Alien" was still in the hands of these people...

The corners of his mouth suddenly lifted slightly.

The reason is simple, the movie "Alien" simply reminded him of a game -

"Contra".

Anyone who has experienced the arcade era, even at the end of the era, should have used or heard of up, down, left, right, left, right, BABA, and that is the cheat code for Contra.

As a classic of the late arcade era, "Contra" produced by Konami has brought happiness to countless people. But at the same time, many people have also discovered that the two protagonists Bill and Lance in "Contra" are very similar to the super tough guys Schwarzenegger and Stallone in Hollywood.
The monsters in the game that look like bumpkins, the incubators that hatch monsters, and the bosses with human faces and ghost heads are not exactly the same as the monsters in "Alien", but at least they are extremely similar.

Perhaps because there are too many plagiarisms, this game has suffered a lot of criticism from the media while selling well. But perhaps also because there are too many plagiarisms, whenever the media asks Konami to confirm these things, Konami always keeps silent and says it doesn't know.

The attitude shown is exactly the same as the "This story is purely fictional. Any similarity is purely coincidental" at the beginning of various TV dramas.

However, these criticisms that existed in Ethan's previous life were no longer important to him.

Because when the game Contra appeared——

The classic music of FC suddenly rang in his mind!
As a classic game on the Famicom, this thing must be made with 6502!

And since it can do it——

Wouldn’t Ethan Jones then be free of worries instantly?

The popularity of Contra may not last as long as that of Northland Cube...

But it’s also a very popular game!
And since it is also a popular game, and it appeared in front of Ethan...

If you don’t do it, you’re simply giving God a hard time!

As for "Alien"?
Since it is a money-making work, why not take it down?

Even though the plot of the movie may not match the game, it’s still good to do some promotion!

Thinking of this, Ethan immediately smiled and said, “Mr. Shusett, can I call you Ronald?”

"Of course, Mr. Jones!" Ronald Shusett nodded quickly.

"Go back today and give me a week. I will show your script to my friends." Ethan said, "If they think it's okay, we will continue to discuss it. If they think it's not okay, I will let my people give you an accurate answer after a week."

"Okay?"

"Yeah!" Ronald Shusett quickly agreed.

Although Ethan did not express his attitude directly, his willingness to consult was the best attitude. It was precisely because he saw this clearly that Ronald Shusett stood up while answering, bowed slightly to Ethan, and said, "Mr. Jones, thank you for your interest!"

"Hahaha--"

Ethan smiled and waved his hand, then stood up and patted his shoulder, indicating that he should not salute.

Then he called in Julis Noble and asked her to contact the law professor assigned to Game of Destiny by Stanford and draft a simple contract to temporarily retain the script. Then he asked her to take Ronald Shusett to the financial director Allen Massey to collect US$10,000, which was the compensation for temporarily retaining the script.

It's not that he doesn't trust Ronald Shusett, but his reputation in Hollywood is well-known.

In his previous life, Ethan had heard that the guys here dared to cheat anyone. In this case, it was better for Ethan Jones to be careful.

If not...

Wouldn't that be a loss of face for Xiao Si and Xiao Lu?

Ok?
After finishing all this, Ethan immediately returned to the office with the script in his pocket. He spread out the rough paper, picked up the pen, and began to write and draw on it. Although his memory of the game in his previous life was already fuzzy, and he could no longer remember the specific levels of Contra, but when the gameplay of the horizontal scrolling shooting game was determined, all that was left was just a matter of killing a few more brain cells!

Just like the Pac-Man levels, which he also drew himself!

When God has already fed the food to your mouth...

Just grow a mouth and take a bite. That shouldn’t be that difficult, right?

If even this is troublesome...

I would rather starve to death!

Under his simple idea, a game called "Iron Warriors vs. Aliens (tentative name)" came to life on paper.

The story takes place in the future year 2XXX. Humans have begun interstellar travel and found a new home in the universe. However, when humans are preparing to migrate to the stars and send a vanguard to build a base for the new home, countless alien species suddenly appear, attack and occupy the place. When the command post on Earth receives the message for help, it immediately dispatches the most powerful steel warriors to rescue.

Unfortunately, interstellar travel takes time. When the Iron Warrior arrived at the new planet, he found that the human base here had been destroyed and countless advance team members had died. Not only that, the alien species here also had the ability to control the human body and use the remains of the dead to do some bloodthirsty things.

In order to avenge their dead compatriots, the Iron Warriors vowed to destroy these enemies.

The first level is that the Iron Warrior lands at the gate of the base, ready to raid in.

When Ethan finished writing the outline and drawing a brief sketch of the first level, he couldn't wait to push open the door of Evelyn's office. When he put the idea of ​​the new game in front of his sister, Evelyn immediately frowned and flipped through it, and then...

"Oh!!! Sxxt!!! Ethan! Are you really an alien???"

The girl exploded. "It's only been a few hours? Four hours? You...you...you just came up with a new game for me??? MFxxk! Doesn't it take time for you to create something?"

Ethan was not surprised by his sister's anger.

He had prepared his speech and directly put the script of "Star Monsters" in front of his sister.

"Here, the source of inspiration." Ethan pursed his lips.

Then, he briefly explained the situation, and when Evelin learned that the screenwriter who had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation at the celebration party that day actually brought the script, she decisively began to read it.

After she hurriedly finished reading it, she sighed, threw the script on the table, and said, "I now think that Steven might be right."

"What?" Ethan didn't understand his sister's thoughts.

Evelyn didn't keep the secret, "As soon as you close your eyes, you can see the future of video games."

"I really don't understand how you could write this kind of game based on this script?"

“How do you tell action from a horror movie?”

"And how did you get rid of the jigsaw puzzle game you played in the morning in a few hours and come up with the idea of ​​making a horizontal shooting game where you can move the protagonist?"

Evelin, who was sitting behind the desk, raised her head and stared straight at Ethan.

She couldn't figure it out at this moment!

She felt like her brain was wasted!
Ethan shrugged. He did not continue to stimulate the girl. Instead, he smiled and said, "Everyone has the ability to fantasize, but what is really valuable is how to turn fantasy into reality, isn't it?"

“Humans never lose their imagination on their own initiative. The so-called lack of imagination is nothing more than the social rules and regulations that restrict human beings’ unconventional thinking.”

“Why are children full of fantasies?”

“Because they are carefree.”

“Why can I fantasize?”

"Because you can do it, right?"

Ethan winked at Evelyn.

The girl stared at him for two seconds, then picked up a file beside her and threw it at Ethan, "Get lost! I don't want to see you today!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow then."

Ethan took the document, put it away with a smile, then picked up the script and left the company in a flash.

Although Evelyn did not respond directly, as long as she did not refuse, it meant that the game could be made. In this case, it was necessary to take on the Alien project. When Ethan did not understand film production, it was his best choice to take advantage of Stoudemire.

however……

When Ethan came to Universal Pictures with the script of "Star Monsters" and went into Spielberg's office and slapped the script in front of him, Spielberg just glanced at the cover of the script and then stood there in a daze. After a long while, he raised his head and said, "How did you get this script?"

"Huh?" Ethan didn't understand.

"Have you read this script?" He was a little confused by Xiao Si's reaction.

"Of course I have!" Spielberg held up the script, pointed to the screenwriter column on the cover, and said, "Do you know who wrote this script?"

Ethan glanced at where Spielberg pointed.

There were two names written on it, Ronald Shusett, who was looking for him, and a guy named Dan O'Bannon.

"Are they having problems?" Ethan asked puzzled.

Before he finished speaking, Spielberg nodded and said, "Of course there is a problem!"

“This guy named Dan O’Bannon is the visual effects supervisor for Star Wars!”

“He did all the hand animation and computer graphics for Star Wars!”

"If nothing unexpected happens, he should be working at Industrial Light & Magic now!"

“I read this story years ago!”

"so--"

"How did you get this script?"

Spielberg looked at Ethan in surprise.

And Ethan...

“WTF???”

He yelled and stared at Xiao Si.

Note: ① In Baidu Encyclopedia, the behind-the-scenes production of "Alien" is written like this: after the success of "Star Wars", Fox began to pay attention to the potential of science fiction films and finally decided to invest 420 million US dollars to shoot this movie. This is actually just the most euphemistic statement. To put it bluntly, the screenwriter of "Alien" is George Lucas's man. In order to lick Lucas, Fox pulled a project that had been dormant for several years in less than half a year. In that era, a director with a box office of over million yuan could really be licked by the studio on his knees. ② Ronald Shusett and Steven Spielberg have a good relationship, and the two sides later collaborated on "Minority Report". ③ About "Contra" and "Alien" and Schwarzenegger and Stallone... Just a simple comparison will do. Konami is very good at integrating plots.

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(End of this chapter)