Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 436 This is absolutely insane!

Cao Yang was stunned by a news report as soon as he arrived in Los Angeles.

Jim Carrey jumped off a building!

Ning Hao spoke as he drove.

He knew Cao Yang's flight was today, so he came to the airport early to pick him up.

"what?"

Cao Yang was startled. He knew that Jim Carrey's personality seemed to be a bit split due to his immersive experience in the role... well, it was probably similar to Dong Xuan's back then.

This can be seen from Jim Carrey's different reactions after each time he plays Arthur and the Joker.

However, Cao Yang was not entirely clear about the extent of the split or the extent of its long-term consequences.

After Dong Xuan was initially affected, Cao Yang took meticulous care of her, wanting to provide her with thorough care both day and night, so that she could feel something different... and better understand and care for her.

However, it is clear that Cao Yang would not treat Lao Jin in this way.

However, to prevent any accidents, not long after filming began, they found Old Jin the best psychologist in the United States.

According to the psychologist named Caitlin, Old Jin was just too immersed in the role, it wasn't a big problem, he didn't have any self-harm tendencies, and he would recover after a few months of rest.

Cao Yang believed it.

“I’ve been busy with your studio filling in the details of ‘The Hangover’ lately, so I don’t know much about this. I was quite surprised when I saw the newspaper this morning.”

Ning Hao drove, trying not to laugh, but his eyes were shining.

Then she muttered softly, "What a pity..."

His idea was simple: Jim Carrey's actions were undoubtedly generating buzz for "Joker," and Jim Carrey was "helping" Cao Yang.

Ning Hao saw it very clearly: being the assistant director of "Joker" was secondary; the most important thing was that he depended on his junior uncle for existence. Their fates were intertwined; the more successful his junior uncle was, the stronger his backer would be.

To put it bluntly, without my junior uncle, none of those big shots in Hollywood would even know who they are.

If Jim Carrey dies from this jump, then the yet-to-be-released film "Joker" will be the biggest beneficiary.

To put it bluntly, Heath Ledger's death is nothing compared to Jim Carrey's.

Who is Jim Carrey?
He was the first member of Hollywood's $20 million club, a superstar with global influence, far beyond Heath Ledger's reach.

If Jim Carrey were to die, Joker, as his final work, even if he acted terribly, the Oscars might still give him an Oscar, even if he held his nose.

Cao Yang ignored Ning Hao's gloating; he was now somewhat worried.

Since becoming a director, he has used so many immersive experiences with different actors, and none of them have ever shown any self-harm tendencies.

Even Li Xiaoran, who was almost driven to "collapse" by Cao Yang before immersing herself in the role, almost couldn't distinguish between the movie plot and reality after immersing herself in the role, and never showed any tendency to self-harm.

In addition, although Arthur in "Joker" is very repressed, he always tries to "become better" and does not have any thoughts of self-harm.

The Joker is confident, high-spirited, and manic, so he has no thoughts of self-harm.

Logically speaking, even if Cao Yang added more immersion to Jim Carrey's role, causing him to become even more immersed in the character, he shouldn't have developed a tendency to self-harm.

Cao Yang's previous concern was not that Jim Carrey had self-harming thoughts, but that Jim Carrey might be influenced by his immersion in the role and thus follow the path of the Joker's antisocial tendencies.

Even worse, if someone secretly "did" Bale, who played Batman, after the release of "The Dark Knight," that would be a huge surprise.

But Jim Carrey jumping off a building... this was something Cao Yang never expected.

Back at Arcadia Manor, he quickly searched for relevant news articles and breathed a sigh of relief after reading a few.

Jim Carrey was about to jump off a building, but he was discovered in time and didn't jump. He was "persuaded" to come down and was then sent to a psychologist again...

Where is the psychologist?

Cao Yang sensed that something was wrong.

It was so serious that he was about to jump off a building, so why was he "downplayed" and only sent to a psychologist?

But you say his suicide attempt was fake? There are photos from the scene—many photos were taken while they were "persuading" him.

Furthermore, news reports stated that Jim Carrey attempted suicide because he became too immersed in the role of Joker during filming, leading to prolonged suffering from the "Joker" character, which he simply couldn't endure any longer...

Damn, this feels like a publicity stunt.
However, the "jumping off a building" incident wasn't part of the publicity stunt "plan" devised by Jim Carrey's two agents.

In Hollywood, having depression is no big deal, as long as you can control it. Producers and directors won't care about that when casting actors—there are so many drug addicts, a little depression isn't considered an "illness" anymore.

However, if you have depression and self-destructive tendencies, that's a big problem. The production crew is afraid that something might happen to you during filming, which would cause a lot of trouble.

In addition, insurance companies are unwilling to provide guarantees for individuals with self-destructive tendencies.

In Hollywood, almost all mainstream films purchase insurance before filming begins.

Hollywood insurance primarily includes actor insurance and completion guarantees. Different insurance products are tailored to different films, covering risks such as actor injury, abnormal weather, and equipment damage.

If an actor in a production crew has self-destructive tendencies, it can be very troublesome, whether it's actor insurance or completion guarantee.

Jim Carrey's suicide will undoubtedly affect his future career, and he will have to think twice before inviting him to any productions in the future.

Cao Yang was momentarily unsure whether this was a publicity stunt or not.

If it's just hype, then you're gambling with your career.

After thinking it over, Cao Yang didn't call Jim Carrey's agent directly to find out what was going on. Instead, he called Warner Bros. CEO Jeff Robinoff first.

If this is truly a publicity stunt, Jeff Robinoff would certainly know the details.

If it weren't a publicity stunt but an accident, Jeff Robinoff would have already found out from Jim Carrey's agent why this happened.

"Hey Cao, when are you going back to Los Angeles?"

As soon as the call connected, Jeff Robinoff deliberately lowered his voice and asked that question first.

When Cao Yang heard Jeff Robinoff lower his voice, he knew that the other party must be in a meeting or something, so he said, "Jeff, are you in a meeting? I just arrived in Los Angeles, how about we talk when you're not busy?"

"You're back? Wait, just a moment."

Cao Yang vaguely heard Jeff Robinov say a few words to someone else, but he must have been covering his phone, so he couldn't hear what they were saying.

About twenty seconds later, Jeff Robinoff's voice came through the phone. This time, his voice wasn't deliberately lowered; he must have left the conference room.

"My dear director, you're finally back? Haha, it's good that you're back, just in time, haha..."

After leaving the conference room and arriving at his office, Jeff Robinov no longer suppressed his voice and emotions, and laughed heartily as he spoke.

Cao Yang was stunned.

"The Dark Knight" has gradually finished its run worldwide. Although it is still showing in a few countries, its global box office is basically fixed.

So far, "The Dark Knight" has grossed $11.25 billion, and it is expected to reach around $11.4 billion after it finishes its run in all countries where it was shown.

Even at $11.25 billion, it surpasses "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which holds the second-highest global box office at $11.19 billion, second only to the wrecked ship that holds the top spot.

Cao Yang's "New Pirates of the Caribbean" also dropped one place, from third to fourth in the global box office rankings.

Of course, Hollywood also considers "The Dark Knight" to be one of Cao Yang's projects. Of the four films that have grossed over $10 billion worldwide, Cao Yang is responsible for two of them.

The current rankings are:
First place: Titanic, $18.42 billion, far ahead of the competition.

Second place: The Dark Knight, $11.25 billion.

Third place: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $11.19 billion.

Fourth place: Pirates of the Caribbean, $10.7 billion.

Next, it goes to those under $10 billion.

The Dark Knight surpassed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to become second place. Jeff Robinoff has already called Cao Yang to tell him this, so he can't possibly still be excited about it.

It's worth mentioning that the Lord of the Rings series is also considered a Warner Bros. project, specifically a project of New Line Cinema, which Warner Bros. acquired in 93. However, New Line Cinema is not actually owned by Warner Bros.

In 93, New Line Cinema was acquired by Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros. Pictures, and was considered a parallel sister company to Warner Bros. Pictures.

In addition, when New Line Cinema was acquired by Time Warner, its former president, Shea, still held a major stake in New Line Cinema and enjoyed the company's autonomy in management.

Therefore, although New Line Cinema belongs to the same Time Warner Group, its film operations are not related to other film companies within the group.

Until 2007, New Line Cinema's films had been losing money for several years, which displeased Warner Bros. executives. As a result, they ousted New Line founder Shea from New Line and merged New Line into Warner Bros.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was produced by New Line Cinema 02.

From this perspective, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which grossed $11.19 billion, is not a Warner Bros. production.

The $11.25 billion gross of "The Dark Knight" finally allowed Warner Bros. to stand tall, finally owning a movie that was "completely" their own with a budget exceeding $10 billion.

"Jeff, you sound quite pleased. What's making our Warner president so excited?"

Cao Yang asked directly over the phone.

"Haha, my dear director, I'm not happy, really, you have to believe me, I'm really not happy, but... sad, yes, sad and worried."

Jeff Robinoff said on the other end of the phone.

Damn it, I don't believe you for a second.

Your joyful tone seemed to overflow from the phone.

There are no people who are sad and worried, yet they laugh out loud.

"Yes, yes, I know you're very sad, Jeff. So, could you tell me what happened so I can feel sad and worried too?"

To be honest, Cao Yang was very curious about what had happened to make the president of Warner Bros. so "sad".

Jeff Robinov had no intention of hiding anything from Cao Yang. A slight smile played on his lips as he whispered:

"Cao, this matter is very important. Once you know about it, don't spread it around for now, or you'll be in trouble."

"Okay, Jeff, you know me, don't worry."

Jeff Robinoff hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "You should know Lehman Brothers, right? It's the fourth largest investment bank in the United States, a long-established investment bank with more than 150 years of history."

Cao Yang's heart skipped a beat. So they've finally arrived? It's already the end of August. He came to Los Angeles after attending the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

“I know it’s an investment bank with a glorious history.”

Cao Yang gave a perfunctory reply.

Jeff Robinoff exclaimed, "Yes, 158 years! A company with a 158-year history... The United States has only been established for 232 years."

After his exclamation, he whispered with a hint of anticipation, "Lehman Brothers is in trouble, huge trouble, and most likely..."

Then he imitated the sound of an explosive device exploding, held the phone between his shoulder and outwards with both hands, and gestured as if to say something:
"Boom..."

Cao Yang pursed his lips, and for some reason, his heart started racing.

He pretended not to understand, suppressing his emotions, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Is that so? What a pity..."

"You don't understand, Cao, you don't understand the problem."

Simply put, in 2006, the Federal Reserve suddenly raised interest rates, mortgage payments skyrocketed, unemployment surged, millions defaulted on their mortgages and abandoned their homes, and housing prices collapsed.

Previously, Lehman Brothers had allowed capital to operate with leverage up to 30 times. When the crisis hit, these extravagant assets would evaporate instantly once the currency depreciated. This was the problem that Lehman Brothers' investment bank faced.

This huge loss snowballed, and Lehman Brothers was the first to collapse.

Lehman Brothers did take some measures to save itself. They tried to divest their capital to avoid risks and sought help from all sides. They went to Japan, South Korea, and Britain.

Every time hope seemed within reach, it was dashed because Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson refused to allow the U.S. government to act as guarantor.

Did you know that Lehman Brothers had pinned their last hopes on the domestic market and had to return home for help? Just a few days ago, Henry, that guy, ordered that Lehman Brothers be left to die, citing the prohibition against using taxpayers' money.

Lehman Brothers is finished. No one can save them except God.

Cao, what you need to know is that this kind of thing didn't just happen at Lehman Brothers; many investment banks, big and small, on Wall Street faced similar crises!

We all agree that Lehman Brothers was neither a coincidence nor the last one; given the current economic situation, this is just the beginning!
Start!
Cao, do you know what this means? Can you imagine what will happen?

Jeff Robinoff quickly said, "Joker, your Joker, the Great Depression, unemployment, chaos, violence... all of that, all of that, will be repeated in reality!"

Then, with barely suppressed excitement, he said, "Prophecy, coincidence, screw it all, whatever, the movie plot is about to become reality, do you know what that means? Do you know, man?"
This means that Joker will appear as the Prophet!
This is a prophetic film, it has to be a prophetic movie, a prophetic film cursed by God, which will appear during the Great Depression through your hands!

Jeff Robinoff became more and more excited as he spoke, and he couldn't help but gesticulate wildly.

"My dear, great prophetic director, do you know that because of this prophetic film, Heath Ledger was cursed? God knew that after he finished filming Batman, he would definitely play Joker, so God took him away!"

God won't let "Joker" come into the world because it's a prophecy! It's a fucking prophecy!

Now, in order to stop this movie, God has cursed Jim Carrey again, saying he will jump off a building to create pressure, to generate public opinion, and to stop the movie from continuing to be made.

Next, the negatives of "Joker" will be burned!

That's right, the negatives of "Joker" are about to be destroyed, at Warner Bros., at Warner Bros. Studios, in one of the most advanced post-production studios built with millions of dollars!
This is a very frustrating and sad thing. I'm sorry and I feel sorry for the movie and for the millions spent on post-production. You and I are both heartbroken about this.

but!

However, when you returned to China to participate in the Olympics, you took a backup copy with you in order to meet the deadline!
Yes, that's right, you had a backup! You're a responsible workaholic! You took a backup with you!
This backup is in China.

Oh, I fucking thank you on behalf of Warner Bros. You're a great and incredibly responsible director.

Of course, this is a spark that God secretly left behind because He couldn't bear to see people suffer!

This is God. He doesn't want to reveal heavenly secrets, but he can't bear to see people suffer. He is truly great!
Cao, do you know what this means?

Do you understand what I mean?
Ha ha……"

Cao Yang's first reaction was, Jeff Robinoff has gone mad!

However, upon closer inspection, Jeff Robinoff and Warner really were crazy.

However, it wasn't that they'd lost their minds; rather, they'd gone mad in their pursuit of box office success and to seize any opportunity.

At this moment, he finally understood why Jim Carrey "jumped off the building"!

This was all premeditated.

Jim Carrey is cursed!
That's why he wanted to jump off the building; he wanted to use the act to stop the production of "Joker".

At this moment, Cao Yang finally understood why Heath Ledger had "died".

When Cao Yang was preparing to film "Joker", everyone thought that Heath Ledger was the only choice for the role. Everyone believed that Cao Yang would never leave Heath Ledger unused and choose another actor instead.

Even everyone at Warner Bros. and Nolan are like that.

Therefore, according to Jeff Robinoff, Joker is a prophetic film that reveals secrets.

Therefore, in order to prevent the prophecy from coming true, "God" took Heath Ledger away!
Fuck!
Warner Bros. has gone mad!
They also want to "burn" the negatives of "Joker"!

This kind of marketing is fucking insane!

but!

but!

What causes a rapid heartbeat?

What causes uncontrollable excitement?

Why would someone want to personally "burn" the negatives?

Cao Yang admitted that he was tempted!
(End of this chapter)