America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the president's office of Warner Bros., Ellen Horn listened to what Thomas was saying on the phone, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

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An invitation she had personally extended had been declined.

Although the rejection was diplomatically put, with the excuse of preparing to compete for roles in Nolan's and Finch's projects, Ellen Horn still felt uncomfortable.

It also flatly declared the failure of her Plan A.

There was a knock on the office door, and Paul Haggis entered, sitting across from Ellen and asking, "I heard there was some unexpected situation?"

"Martin Davis has given his response, saying the schedule doesn't fit and declined our invitation," Ellen said without any emotional inflection, as if she was an observer outlining the facts of what had occurred: "The day before yesterday, Louise Mel called me, saying that Pacific Pictures has decided to invest in another major Warner project, and therefore cannot allocate the funds."

Paul Haggis immediately understood the current situation; the loss of a male lead with strong market appeal also meant the disappearance of the backing Atlanta and Asian funds.

Louise Mel of Pacific Pictures and Martin Davis were often talked about in the industry circles. If she declined, it was not surprising that Martin would also decline.

Ellen Horn's fingers gently tapped on the desk as she said, "We need to make some changes to our plan."

"New actors don't meet our requirements," Paul Haggis didn't want to take a risk by using newcomers as male leads in such a highly-invested project: "The investment is too large."

Ellen nodded, "It must be an A-list actor, and we still have time to look for one." She frowned, "Actually, the key issue is still the funding. In the past, there was always a lot of hot money entering Hollywood, and it wasn't difficult for Warner Bros. to attract investment.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But since the end of last year, things have changed dramatically, with a sharp decrease in hot money flowing into the industry; even Spielberg has gone to India to seek investment."

Although she was skilled in movie production, her many years at a high position gave her a sensitive nose, and she sensed that there seemed to be some issues with America's economy.

Most prominently, Wall Street's enthusiasm for investing in Hollywood had plummeted.

Paul Haggis didn't understand these things, as he was quite purely a film person, simply considering from the perspective of movie investment: "Can we bypass Martin Davis and contact Atlanta and Asian funds directly?"

Ellen, unhesitating in her decision-making, said: "I'll have someone try it."

After Paul Haggis left, she made a phone call to summon her subordinate, Lauren, and instructed her to make contact with people from Atlanta and Asia.

Upon exiting the office, Paul Haggis reached the lobby and ran into Jon, the creative director of Legendary Pictures.

After exchanging pleasantries, Haggis asked, "You must know about the new project I'm leading. Aren't you planning to invest a bit?"

Although Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were both under Warner Bros. umbrella, they were not affiliated but instead had a parallel relationship. Jon shrugged, "The focus of Legendary Pictures for the coming year is the Batman sequel; we can't help with anything else."

Haggis was puzzled, "Haven't you guys raised quite a bit of money from Wall Street private shareholders and hedge companies?"

Jon casually replied, "Even the small investors from Wall Street are short on money."

Footsteps sounded nearby, and Christian Bale approached from Warner Bros., greeted them, and asked, "What's the topic of conversation? You both seem deeply invested."

Jon laughed, "Of course, it's money."

Haggis said, "Many big projects are looking for money."

Bale, unfamiliar with these issues, said, "Actually, I'm looking for money too."

The three of them laughed, and Jon soon took his leave.

Bale also was about to go,

when Haggis suddenly remembered what Ellen had said earlier and quickly called Bale back, "Chris, let's have a word in private."

Bale pointed to the lounge area, "Over there?"

The two sat down there, and Haggis got straight to the point: "I'm working with Warner Bros. on the next instalment of the Terminator series, with an investment of around 200 million US dollars, and the male lead hasn't been confirmed yet."

Bale said, "I still have to play Bruce Wayne."

Haggis said, "I've asked Jon about the filming dates, and there's no conflict."

The first "The Battle Begins" revitalized the Batman movies, and Warner and DC were confident in the sequel; the fourth Terminator would certainly premiere after Batman.

Haggis considered a lot within a moment; with the solid foundation laid by the first film, the new Batman movie would likely be a big hit, which meant he could leverage Bale's momentum…

As for the salary and such, it wasn't a problem. Having set such a high budget, the plan was to hire an A-list star.

Bale knew how to play the game, neither agreeing nor declining outright: "According to industry regulations, I cannot discuss roles and work opportunities without my agent present."

Haggis said, "I'll contact your agent." He opened his briefcase and handed a script and a project proposal to Bale: "Take a look."

Bale expressed his gratitude, "Paul, thank you for your consideration and invitation."

His agent Patrick was waiting for him in the car outside.

After getting into the car, Bale handed over the materials to Patrick, saying, "I've received an invitation."

Patrick flipped through the documents and said, "I've heard of this project; they even invited Martin Davis for the male lead."

Bale immediately showed interest: "Martin Davis?"

Patrick elaborated: "Ellen Horn had a private meeting with him." He pointed out the most critical aspect: "The new Terminator, with a budget not lower than 180 million US dollars. If you can land this role, I can negotiate a salary of at least 15 million US dollars for you."

Who in the Vanity Fair doesn't take an interest in money? Upon hearing the figure, Bale became even more interested, "Try to make contact with Warner Bros. I've spoken with Paul Haggis and Legendary Pictures, our schedules don't conflict."

......

After receiving instructions from Ellen Horn, Lauren immediately took action, studying all the film projects that Martin Davis was involved in and quickly identified the four major investment sources backing Martin.

Pacific Pictures, a major Hollywood industry player, Gray Film Industry, the largest film company in Atlanta, House of Beast Entertainment Company also from Atlanta, and the Asian tycoon Wu Maoting.

The heads of the first two, Louise Mel and Kelly Gray, had deep connections with Martin; the latter was too far away in Asia to meet on short notice, so Lauren set that aside for the moment, planning to first make contact with the House of Beast Entertainment Company in Atlanta.

They also have an office in Los Angeles.

Lauren found out that one of the company's bosses had recently arrived in Los Angeles.

He immediately drove to Grand Avenue, found the House of Beast's office, and upon entering, he addressed the person who came to greet him, "I am Warner Bros.' Lauren Corner, here to visit Ms. Sophia."

"Please wait a moment." The person turned back and walked inside.

A moment later, a middle-aged man came out and greeted Lauren, "Come with me."

Lauren noticed that the man's walk was peculiar, his legs splayed out, moving with a swaying gait, as though his rear had suffered some great injury.

Scott suddenly looked back, but Lauren, without a sideway glance, as if he had seen nothing, followed him into a reception room.

"Sit." The woman who spoke caused a twitch at the corner of Lauren's mouth.

The sportswear did not hide the woman's robust figure, the muscles that bulged with every movement, even more exaggerated than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

In Lauren's mind, only one description seemed fitting: a female King Kong!

Then, he realized: the head of Pacific Pictures was a woman, the head of Gray Film Industry was a woman, the head of House of Beast was also a woman.

Martin Davis surely had quite the appetite, didn't he? Wasn't he afraid of breaking something?

Lauren, who was also well-travelled and knowledgeable, thought a lot in his mind but maintained a normal expression on his face, introducing himself, "Hello, ma'am, I am Lauren Corner from the planning department of Warner Bros. ..."

Sophia, always direct in business, cut him off, "What do you want to say?"

Lauren had prepared in advance for this meeting, and he quickly began to speak about Warner Bros.'s project and their sincerity.

Sophia didn't contribute much to the conversation, but she listened attentively.

......

On Rodeo Avenue, inside the Brioni boutique, Martin, after shooting the new season's promotional advertisements, was trying on formal wear.

This was an Oscar ensemble specially handcrafted by Brioni to fit his measurements, and it was going to be put to use this weekend.

The store manager, Claudia, scrutinized Martin closely and said, "Perfect! Martin, your proportions are excellent, with a frame like that of a model, perfectly showcasing the unique elegance of Brioni."

Martin said with a smile, "Thank you, I am very satisfied."

To someone like him, who wasn't rich in fashion culture, men's formal wear was just that, and someone seeking a mature and steady style like him would naturally opt for dark colors in public appearances.

In the rest area, Bruce, holding Martin's phone, answered a call and, upon hearing Sophia's voice, felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest and an involuntary shake in his legs.

But Sophia was talking business, and he endured to listen before promptly hanging up and going to find Martin, whispering, "Sophia wants to see you."

Martin asked, "What does she want?"

Bruce said, "Someone from Warner Bros. approached Sophia, looking to draw in investment."

Martin nodded, "Tell her I'll be right there."

He went to the changing room to change clothes.

Bruce considered making a call, but he really didn't want to hear Sophia's voice again, so he simply sent a text message.

After changing, Martin greeted Claudia and, together with Old Cloth, went downstairs, got into the car, and drove off towards Burbank.

Bruce knew that Martin had recently rejected Warner Bros.'s invitation, and asked, "Could this have something to do with Ellen Horn?"

Martin replied, "Ellen Horn is the president of Warner Bros. Bringing in a new investor will ultimately require her approval."

Bruce frowned slightly, "She's trying to undermine our foundation!"

Martin closed his eyes and meditated, combining the situation in Hollywood with the investment returns of House of Beast, thinking through what he would discuss with Sophia.

The car soon arrived at Grand Avenue; the Los Angeles branch of House of Beast was located here.

Upstairs, Martin and Bruce first encountered Scott.

Having not seen him for over half a year, Scott's legs hadn't splayed further, but his way of walking seemed to have set, always striding with his legs apart.