American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 121 Offense without Defense is All It Takes

"Boss, hasn't the new issue of Ultimate Spider-Man arrived yet? I can't find it on the shelf."

"Oh, the new issue of Ultimate Spider-Man hasn't arrived yet. Because it's a special issue, Marvel decided to do a crossover with the movie The Lost Man 2, so they pushed the release date to next month."

"What? Oh my god! Is that how it is? Okay, thank you..."

"You're welcome. Do you only like Spider-Man? There's also Superman and Batman on the display..."

"Oh, I only like Marvel."

"Hulk, Blade, the Fantastic Four?"

"I've already bought their latest issues."

"Is that so? Then I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. I'm sorry... See you next time?"

"Okay, see you next time."

new York.

Brooklyn.

Karen Hawkins, 26, walked out of a comic book store.

He's a comic book fanatic; he's loved reading comics since he was a child, and his favorite character is Spider-Man from Marvel.

He never explored the specific reasons, but he felt that his liking for Peter Parker might be related to the latter's student status. Perhaps his greatest desire was to be as omnipotent as the young hero he encountered in his youth?
Of course, it's also a fantasy.

Because there are no superheroes in this world.

But that doesn't matter. The lack of reality won't stop his love for the virtual world. Even after he's grown up, he continues to pursue the joys he once had. Or rather, as he becomes financially independent, he buys more and more comics, merchandise, and watches more and more movies. For example, he's watched Sony's "Spider-Man" at least seven times in the theater.

In his opinion, Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Peter Parker was absolutely fantastic!
Tobey Maguire is his ideal Spider-Man!
There are also disadvantages.

Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man isn't a chatterbox, which he finds quite regrettable.

Even so, the superb production of Spider-Man still made him scream with excitement!

Before Spider-Man, most comic book adaptations were low-budget B-movies. No matter how well Blade or Batman did at the box office, they couldn't hide the rough production. Only Spider-Man was truly exquisite.

When this fact came to light, Karen Hawkins felt that Hollywood producers might be gradually paying more attention to comic book adaptations.
Then, with anticipation, he embraced all the comic book adaptations that followed Spider-Man.

Then, reality slapped him hard in the face—

Ben Affleck's Daredevil was simply nonsensical;
Ang Lee's "Hulk" was not enjoyable to watch at all;

Even with John Travolta's involvement, The Punisher was utterly terrible.
The only slightly better one is "X-Men 2," but the only memorable thing about that movie is the cat licking its paws...

"Ugh--"

Karen Hawkins sighed heavily as she thought about how "The Failed Man" had just opened the door to comic book adaptations with A-list production values, only to be quickly shut down by a bunch of money-grubbing companies.

Tired!
"These profit-driven capitalists are truly disgusting!"

Seeing an empty soda can on the side of the road, he kicked it.

With a "thud," the Coca-Cola, barely fit for stepping on, flew quite a distance.

Perhaps it was the powerful flying kick that carried away the pent-up frustration in his heart?
But it's also possible that the Coke can just happened to land in a trash can.

Karen Hawkins laughed again—

"However, even if those capitalists are disgusting, manga adaptations still have a chance to rise!"

"Because 'The Failed Man' will be made into three parts!"

"Because Constantine managed to get Chris Columbus!"

Yes, even though the current comic book adaptation genre is rife with bad movies, Karen Hawkins remains hopeful for the future.

This is not only because the sincere Spider-Man will make three movies, and when Spider-Man has a very high probability of getting better and better, Hollywood capital that wants to make money will definitely participate seriously; it is also because in January of this year, Constantine officially announced that they had reached a cooperation agreement with the well-known director Chris Columbus, and the two parties will work together to develop Fantastic Four.

While Constantine's company wasn't very capable, and their Resident Evil films were just so-so, Chris Columbus is a legend! His adaptations of the stories in *The Sorcerer's Stone* and *The Chamber of Secrets* were incredibly faithful! With him overseeing *Fantastic Four*, even a bad movie couldn't be too bad! Even if he didn't have time to direct, it's because he was busy filming Harry Potter!
Karen Hawkins, while dreaming of the bright future of comic book movie adaptations, ducked into a Subway.

He ordered a black pepper thick-cut steak sandwich and a glass of fruit juice, then carried the food back to the company.

He was the top salesperson at a real estate agency.

Since he didn't have much pressure to meet sales targets, he would go out to buy lunch every day and stroll around the surrounding neighborhood to relax. As for his colleagues? They would naturally order a Domino's pizza and then work overtime to find clients.

However, just as he sat back down at his workstation, wanting to casually browse the internet and use gossip news as a side dish,

As soon as he opened Yahoo!, he saw the front page headline related to "Fantastic Four".

The eye-catching headline made him click decisively, but the page that popped up made him frown.

Because it says inside—

According to an unnamed source, development of "Fantastic Four," which was officially announced at the beginning of the year, has encountered difficulties...

There are many specific problems, which can be summarized into three categories...

'1. Constantine concealed the fact that a new investor was brought in without the producer's knowledge...'

'2. Constantine interfered with the creative process, recommending a new investor's director to the producer without their knowledge...'

'3. Constantine's management is chaotic, and casting has not even begun... As early as the project's inception, the producer had already given Constantine a list of invited leads, but to this day, Constantine hasn't even started a single audition...'

"The grand official announcement, followed by complete silence, has once again given us a whiff of a bad movie..."

"While we're reluctant to believe that Constantine's invitation to Chris Columbus was likely a scam using the Columbus name, Constantine has a terrible reputation in the entertainment industry. A decade ago, they were accused of deliberately making bad movies to protect the rights to 'Fantastic Four'..."

'The story from back then went like this...'

In 1992, Constantine realized that if they didn't bring "Fantastic Four" to the big screen soon, the rights they held would revert to Marvel after December 31st of that year. So, to protect the rights, they wrote a script in one day, found actors in two days, and started filming on December 28th, then spent 21 days filming everything…

Ultimately, that poorly made film met its fate of being destroyed…

'Given Constantine's history of cheating, we might have to say that Chris Columbus may have been fooled...'

boom--

The article is not long.

It's only a thousand words long.

But it contains an overwhelming amount of information!
Karen Hawkins was so engrossed in watching it that she forgot to eat lunch!
His eyes were wide open, like copper bells!
Her face was as red as a crab's!
Just like Talking Tom!
"M-Fxxk!"

"Flower Q! Flower Q!! Flower Q!!!"

"These are all fucking insects! A bunch of vampires!! A bunch of trash!!!"

"Boom boom boom——"

The sudden roar ripped off the roof of the real estate agency!
The frantic hammering shook the small real estate agency three times!
At that moment, everyone, whether they were working overtime or just eating, all looked up!

Everyone stared at Karen Hawkins in astonishment—

"Karen, what's wrong with you?"

"Karen, did some big client stand you up?"

"Wait a minute, Karen, didn't you say you were going to buy comics when you went out to buy food? Where are your comics? Did you not buy them?"

Karen Hawkins took two deep breaths at the concern from her colleagues.

Raise both hands, press them down slightly, and force a smile.

"Sorry to bother everyone, I'm fine."

"I just saw a news story that made me angry, so... Sorry."

Karen Hawkins' words relieved her colleagues.

"It's okay."

Since Karen Hawkins is a top salesperson, whatever he does is right, so no one bothers to scrutinize his behavior.

But at the same time, everyone was also curious, "Karen, what kind of news could make you so angry?"

The question turned Karen Hawkins' face ashen.

"It's a bunch of beasts who are relentlessly destroying the dreams of a bunch of children."

He gritted his teeth.

"Oh—that sounds disgusting—"

My colleagues felt the same way.

That's right—

Use their own methods against them!
Strike first, or suffer the consequences!
That was the solution Warner came up with based on Miss Beaver's inspiration!

Is Rupert Murdoch trying to accuse Chris Columbus of disrespecting Marvel?
Is this a ploy to incite Marvel and Spider-Man fans to attack Chris Columbus? Or Harry Potter?
you can!

You can do that!
Warner Music is taking this!

but--

Since you insist on being so disgusting, don't blame us for exposing your dirty secrets in the same way!

You should know that Constantine has a criminal record!

They are as meticulous as the old Berlin Black Flag in their inhumanity!
So, as long as we expose you before you do, no matter how much you try to guide the public through your posts, they won't believe you anymore, because many people already know about your shady dealings!

When your credibility is zero, nothing you say will make a difference!
But the truth is...

That's true too.

The revelations related to Constantine were released on the morning of May 6.

After several hours of fermentation, North American public opinion exploded!
cough.

Ok.

Saying it exploded is a bit of an exaggeration; it just got lively.

Because the Fantastic Four IP simply can't compare to the failed franchises like Man, HP, and SW.

Therefore, no matter how widely Warner Bros. broadcasts related news, or how many people see the news, the number of people participating in the discussion cannot compare to the public opinion storm that the latter can stir up, even though Chris Columbus is the director of HP.

Even so, the public's feedback still brought Warner satisfaction.

Because wherever there's discussion, it's all about one-sidedly criticizing Constantine.

"Oh! Constantine is disgusting people again! Why doesn't this kind of company with no morals or bottom line just shut down?"

"..."

"I've heard about what happened ten years ago! It's said that Constantine even tried to blame Marvel for the production failure?"

"At the time, Constantine seemed to say that the reason he rushed through the production was because Marvel didn't give him enough time? Then they applied to Marvel to extend the copyright period? But Marvel ignored them?"

"But actually?"

"Marvel said back then that everything Constantine said was complete bullshit!"

"Because Marvel sold the rights to Fantastic Four in 1986! As long as it was produced once before December 31, 1992, the rights would be renewed! That's an eight-year period!"

"Get James Cameron! He could make a Titanic movie out of it!"

"..."

"I've heard about that too!"

"The 92 Fantastic Four was directed by Roger Coleman, commissioned by Constantine!"

"Roger Coleman even cursed Constantine back then! Because Constantine initially said he would pay three million to make the movie, but in the end he only paid one million, and the rest was paid off with film reels from Fantastic Four!"

"..."

"My God? This company is so disgusting?"

"..."

"Dxxn! I remember now! Resident Evil was also made by this company, right? No wonder Resident Evil turned out like that! Constantine was such a useless piece of trash!!!"

"..."

When the barrage of criticism reached Murdoch's eyes.

The old man immediately pushed up his glasses.

laughed.

“Good, Barry Mayer is not a fool.”

Yes, everything happening right now is exactly as Murdoch predicted.

Or, to put it another way, when the enemy he wants to kill has been in the business world for decades without being defeated, he no longer believes that his attack can easily hit the opponent. Yes, hit the opponent, not kill them.

Because the guys who could be easily killed are already dead.

The only way to become the head of a Fortune 500 company is to keep winning and winning in your life.

Of course, there are exceptions, like Steve Jobs, who just won and lost.

But these are extremely rare exceptions.

Since Warner's counterattack was within Murdoch's expectations, then...

"Have the items been retrieved?"

Murdoch looked up from the computer and at his assistant.

"All the press releases have been withdrawn."

The assistant nodded.

"Very good, let's activate Plan B directly."

“Keep Constantine silent.”

"Tim Story can be discarded as a pawn."

The assistant felt a chill run down his spine from those casual words.

Even so, he nodded and turned to carry out the task assigned by his boss.

He first called Gail Berman, president of Fox Broadcasting Group, and asked him to keep Constantine in check. Then he anonymously sent the pre-written manuscript to various media outlets.

The contents of the manuscript are...

[Breaking News! Another Accident Hits the Fantastic Four Production Team!]

The article is quite long, over two thousand words, but it can be summarized into one core point and three detailed rules.

First, let's talk about the core:
The article, in Constantine's name, places all the blame for the poor production of "Fantastic Four" on Tim Story.

Next, let's discuss the details:
1. According to an unnamed source, the delays in casting for Fantastic Four had nothing to do with Constantine, but were entirely due to the incompetence of the project's director, Tim Story.

2. According to XXXX sources, Constantine never wanted to choose Tim Story from the beginning.

3. According to sources from XXXX, Constantine was very sincere in inviting Chris Columbus, as evidenced by the fact that the script for "Fantastic Four" was written by Chris Columbus ten years ago...

On the surface, the article Murdoch had his assistant publish seemed incredibly stupid.

Because the revelations he released seemed to be an attempt to exonerate Chris Columbus.

But actually...

"A generous gift of crabs—"

"Chris Columbus, that white bastard, is a son of a bitch!!"

"I want him dead!!! I want him dead!!!"

Early morning on December 5th.

Tim Story went crazy after seeing the news at home!
His eyes were bloodshot as he overturned the dining table!
He grabbed a dinner knife and wanted to fight Chris Columbus!
Well, everything has two sides.

From the public's perspective, the statement Murdoch had his assistant release was nothing short of barking and howling.

That is, Constantine realized that his deception of the masses had been exposed, so he desperately sought someone to take over and try to clear his name.

But if we look at the issue from Tim Story's perspective...

All of the above is Chris Columbus blaming others!

The logic is simple: 1. Tim Story didn't know the truth; he only knew that Bernard Eisinger had helped him.

It was Bernard Eisinger who told him that Chris Columbus didn't like him, and given this premise, in his eyes, Constantine's boss, Bernard Eisinger, was a trustworthy ally.

2. Since Constantine is one of their own, Constantine will not attack him.

Therefore, the only person who would say that Constantine disliked him is Columbus.

And this is definitely true, because Bernard Eisinger spoke ill of Chris Columbus to him.

If A and B speak ill of C, then A can no longer stand with C.

3. Since the new revelation could only have come from Columbus, then Columbus said he had a conflict with Constantine? Isn't that just an attempt to muddy the waters and exclude himself from the issue?

Because when everyone on the Fantastic Four project has conflicts!
Then no one would care about Columbus targeting him!
So……

As soon as Murdoch's manuscript appeared, Tim Story saw it as Columbus wanting to disappear!
Columbus himself wanted to remain invisible?
Doesn't that mean Columbus indirectly admitted that he didn't like him from the beginning?
'He's targeting me!'

He's going to replace me!!

'He just looks down on me and discriminates against me!!!'

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Tim Storey immediately pulled out his phone and, with trembling hands, dialed a number—

"Hello? Eric? Yeah~ It's me! Tim!"

"You're right! I do have something to discuss with you! Have you seen the news these past few days? It's all the white guys' doing!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Chris Columbus is a racist!"

"..."

As soon as the first call ended, he dialed the second one.

"Regina?"

"Yay! Yay! Yay! I need your help!"

"Chris Columbus is a beast! He's deliberately targeting me! He's discriminating against me!"

"Oh, I know you're not good at speaking up, but that's okay, you can support me from the sidelines!"

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I think your idea is great! Thank you!"

"..."

After a five-minute chat, a third phone call popped up—

“Nia? Oh—you knew I would call? God! I love you—”

"You're right! We must unite to fight discrimination!"

"Of course! Of course! You can certainly say we're good friends!"

"Okay, okay! Thank you, thank you!"

"..."

Tim Storey made three phone calls to Eric Reed, Regina King, and Nia Long.

All three are African Americans in the American entertainment industry.

The first one to make it in the music industry was a jazz singer whose works frequently appeared on Billboard.

The second is a Hollywood actor who debuted in the sitcom "227" and became famous for "Jerry Maguire".

Yeah~
Tom Cruise's "Jerry Maguire".

Marcy Tidwell in that movie is played by her.

The third person is also an actor. His debut work was the sitcom "227", and his breakthrough role was "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".

Yes, it's the show starring Will Smith.

She is Will Smith's on-screen girlfriend.

These three were all Tim Story's high school classmates.

Furthermore, Tim Story's role in "Hello, Big Master" and his being groomed by Fox were all thanks to Regina King and Ice Cube's friendship. Regina King recommended Tim Story to Ice Cube, hoping that he could mentor her classmate, and that's how Tim Story came to Fox's attention.

Yes, Hollywood is that realistic.

It's already quite impressive that you were able to enter the industry as an actor without any connections!
As for becoming a director?

You should first try to raise some funds to make a movie to prove yourself, otherwise just go home and sleep.

There is everything in the dream.

It's precisely because Tim Story also has connections!
That's why Fox gave him a chance!

Or...

Fox doesn't really expect a black man to make any great movies.

They didn't even expect any return on their investment in Tim Storey.

They kept Tim Storey solely because Rupert Murdoch loved subversion and magic.

Spending tens of millions to maintain some useful nails is not a difficult task for them at all.

If you lose money, you lose money.

Not to mention, they lost far more than that amount of money in one night after they got to the gambling table.

But what if these nails come in handy someday?

So that means Texas started with the Royals!

Even if it were Pierre Carson, the French gambling god, he'd still want to check the cards!

When Tim Story was pushed into the abyss by Murdoch's scheme, the smear campaign that came out of nowhere enraged him!

Enraged, he immediately chose to retaliate!
On May 7th at noon, he gave an interview to the media.

Well, it was Fox News's doing.

Facing the camera, he stated that everything circulating outside was a fucking rumor—

"I know everyone's talking about Fantastic Four right now! They think I ruined Fantastic Four! But I want to say, it's all fake! It's not true! The truth is, Chris Columbus doesn't like Fantastic Four at all! He's a hypocrite! He's never liked Marvel! He doesn't like me!"

"When I was busy with casting and found that none of the actors on the shortlist could come, I called Chris Columbus, and he told me, 'Since those people don't want to come, let's hold open auditions! Let's cast again!'"

"Listen to this! Is this something someone who likes Marvel and wants to do a good project would say?!"

"If he really loves Marvel! He loves Fantastic Four! Then he will dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the production!"

"Then, his dislike for me appeared on my very first day on set!"

"Because he wanted to turn the Fantastic Four set into his own backyard!"

"He had already chosen the director before I joined Fantastic Four!"

"That's why he kept targeting me after my appearance shattered his dream!"

"He's a racist!"

"Don't believe in my abilities because of my skin color!"

"I'm deliberately hindering the project because of my skin color!"

"He's trying to drive me away by disgusting me!"

"So that his own people can rise to power!"

“I dare say it here!”

"Right now, all the news and discussions about Fantastic Four are from him!"

"Because I had already discovered everything before that, and I wanted to confront him!"

"He doesn't dare! He's guilty! So he wants to destroy me first!"

boom--

The interview caused a sensation across the United States!

This time, the whole of America is truly shaken!

Because racial discrimination is no small matter, and the person suspected of racial discrimination is none other than the famous director Chris Columbus?

This……

This immediately divided public opinion in North America into three factions!

Some were surprised, some were unexpected:

"Oh my god—what on earth is going on—"

Why did the issues surrounding Fantastic Four suddenly veer towards racial discrimination?

Some were angry, some were roaring:

"Damn it! Chris Columbus, that white guy, dares to discriminate against us Africans? He deserves to die!"

"The 'Heavy Gift Crab'—Chris Columbus is just a pirate in a suit! He doesn't even deserve to be a director!"

"Make Chris Columbus apologize! Make him retire from the industry!!"

Some clapped and cheered, clapping loudly:
"So Tim Story, the director of Fantastic Four, is actually Black? Okay, okay, I think I understand why the Fantastic Four project suddenly fell apart. If I were the producer, and I found out that the new investors insisted on putting a Black person as director, I would also find a way to get rid of him! Get rid of him!!!"

"M-Fxxk! So Constantine just chose a black person as the director! So Constantine's intention was to keep producing bad movies? With the IQ of black people, what good movies can they make!"

So who exactly is the new investor for Fantastic Four? Who recommended Tim Story?

Yes.

Even if Tim Story is skin color correct, public opinion is not entirely on his side.

While the fact that the Dark Lord has not yet ascended to power is certainly one reason, the act of covering one's mouth will not solve the problem.

If you cover everyone's mouths and prevent them from criticizing you, will they stop disliking you?
Isn't that idiotic logic?
Forcibly silencing everyone will only make them hate you more!

So, Tim Story has now come out and said that all the problems in Fantastic Four are caused by discrimination.

The vast majority of white North Americans would think discrimination is good.

It's already outrageous enough that you, a Black person, are directing, and now you want to adapt a classic white comic book IP?

So you're saying we white people are all incompetent?
As for the Black people...

Besides the angry protests, there were also countless voices of support.

Eric Reed stated that—

"I oppose all forms of racial discrimination."

Regina King stated in an interview—

"Tim Story is a very good person. He was our prefect in high school. He's a very nice guy, and I respect him a lot. I think he has the ability to direct a superhero movie."

Nia Lange said to the reporter—

“I’m very reluctant to believe that this is all true, because I also really like Chris Columbus’s movies. I personally think there might be some contradiction here, so I hope everyone can sit down and clarify things.”

cough.

It's the same old story.

Before Mustache's reputation improved, not many people were willing to fight with Jews.

Especially those in the entertainment industry.

Everyone knows that in this industry, if you say the wrong thing, you're done for.

Mel Gibson dares to say that's what his family eats!
And the others?

Do you have a powerful backer?
Is your biological father your powerful backer?

Would your own father use the New Testament as a weapon?
You have nothing, yet you dare to spout nonsense?
You're fucking brave!
Even so, Murdoch still felt that the spies he had cultivated had done everything he wanted.

Because the other party acted as the vanguard and stirred up trouble.

Because he controls the media, he can manipulate public opinion at will.

however--

Just when Murdoch thought things were going well and was about to call on his assistant to give Warner a piece of his mind...

"Boss!!! Something terrible has happened!!!"

His assistant rushed into his office first.

"what happened?"

Murdoch frowned slightly.

His assistant handed him the newspaper, saying, "Warner has retaliated!"

"Ok?"

Murdoch took the newspaper and scanned it.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to be affected, and their front-page headline today was—

Hollywood director Chris Columbus reached a cooperation agreement with New Line Cinema earlier this year to develop Marvel's superhero Iron Man. It is reported that Columbus also extended an invitation to Isabella Heywood.

Next up is The Wall Street Journal, whose front-page headline today is—

With production of X-Men 3 imminent, Fox has yet to reach a pay raise agreement with Halle Berry. According to Bryan Singer, director of the first two films in the series, Fox attempted to trick Halle Berry into signing a low-paying contract with a fake script.

Finally, there's The New York Times, whose front-page headline today is—

Tim Storey from Fox

"..."

The sudden influx of information left Murdoch speechless!
The next second—

Murdoch suddenly looked up and yelled at his assistant—

“Oh——Sxxt——”

"Control public opinion! Control public opinion!! Control public opinion!!!"

"We cannot be the ones who started this!! We cannot!!!"

Yes--

Fox's attacks were fierce?
Is Murdoch's mind dark?

So what?
Who says there are only two sides in a battle? If one side attacks, the other side has to defend.
Do you fucking think this is a turn-based game?
Since you've stripped me of my magic resistance armor, then I'll go head-to-head with you!
I'm only attacking now, I'm not defending at all!

Whoever backs down dies!
As for where Warner's attack strategy and confidence come from?
It's very simple.

Miss Beaver still remembers that Barry Mayer was unwilling to pay Halle Berry $20 million for Catwoman.

Barry Mayer couldn't accept that price. Would Murdoch really be willing to offer her that much for X-Men?

Stop talking nonsense.

Murdoch wouldn't agree to that either.

However, Murdoch's unwillingness to give it doesn't mean Halle Berry won't want it.

After all, this guy dared to ask Ronald Perelman for a raise in public.

So, you're saying we're racist?

Okay, so did you give them 20 million?

You're not even willing to give them 20 million, aren't you looking down on them too?
And then, she's the first African American actress to win an Oscar!
Isn't looking down on others just a more serious form of racial discrimination?

You guys don't even respect Black elites!

Trying to deny the success of our Black brothers!

hee hee~
(End of this chapter)