America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Brother turned against brother, and love turned to murder, satisfying the psychological needs of many onlookers: in Hollywood, there's no such thing as true friendship, just plastic brotherhoods and sisterhoods.

It was also reported by the media that Martin had long-standing conflicts with Nicholson, who once used homemade fireworks to bombard Martin's residence, even attracting the LAPD.

The new issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine featured The Joker from DC Comics on its cover, with a special article analyzing the fallout between Martin and Nicholson.

"The Joker portrayed by Jack Nicholson has become one of the classic images in film history, always praised. Jack has never been magnanimous, and his criticism of Martin playing The Joker is probably due to this psychology: If Martin's Joker surpasses his, wouldn't that be quite embarrassing?"

Reporters and paparazzi frantically gathered at the entrance of Warner Bros. Studios, swarming any member of The Dark Knight Crew they saw to ask for their opinions on Martin and Nicholson.

The film hadn't even started shooting, yet Martin and The Joker already stole all entertainment headlines.

Nicholson, who was having a great time with the situation, showed up to watch the Lakers' first playoff game of the season dressed as The Joker from the 1989 Batman film.

In the media's interpretation, Nicholson was using this method to tell Martin that there's only one movie version of The Joker!

"Look at that, are we lacking in attention?"

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Warner Building office, Charles Roven pointed to the sea of reporters at the studio's gates and said to Aulin, "Even without the crew making an effort, just the actors alone have created enough buzz to snatch up most of the entertainment headlines."

Aulin, who had also been following the drama, commented, "Martin was such a great casting choice. How do they say it over in Silicon Valley? That's right, he's a 'traffic magnet'!"

Charles Roven said, "Warner Bros. has always worked with Martin, and in recent years, he's brought in large profits for Warner. Looking at the current situation, he could create even more in the years to come."

Still, Aulin reminded, "However high the heat, it's the work that's key. Without quality work to back it up, all of this is illusion."

Charles said, "You saw Martin's performance at the audition; acting is definitely not the issue. What I'm most worried about, in fact, is Nolan's side. This kind of dark, gritty, realism, where The Joker has as much or even more screen time than Batman, might not be accepted by the audience."

Aulin then noted, "The script is a spinoff of 'The Dark Knight Returns,' which is a highly praised comic."

At that moment, the office door was knocked on, and Nolan walked in.

Charles asked with a smile, "The crew hasn't been too disturbed, I hope?"

"Most of the crew have already gone to Atlanta for pre-production; there aren't many people left here," Nolan replied, visiting with an idea in mind, "The thing with Martin and Nicholson is very hot right now, but it's hard to maintain interest later on..."

Aulin inquired, "What are you thinking?"

Nolan, who excelled at more than just filmmaking, suggested, "When the film reaches a certain stage, Warner and DC could invite Nicholson to visit the set, to see how Martin is doing as The Joker."

Charles nodded, "That could work."

Nolan hadn't finished, proposing, "We can continue to come up with ideas revolving around Martin Davis and Jack Nicholson."

He then lowered his voice, "Or we can keep stirring up their conflict and maintain their war of words."

Aulin chuckled, "Good idea."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

With a production budget as high as 180 million US Dollars, Nolan shouldered a multibillion-dollar burden, focusing not only on the film itself but also taking special care in other areas.

In recent years, there were too many good films with poor box office performance.

Marketing was becoming increasingly important, and Nolan said, "I think Martin's ability to generate buzz and create news is much stronger than Bale's, whether it's regarding the film's content or its promotion. Martin should be the core focus."

He became more excited as he spoke, "Not just Martin and Nicholson, but also the relationship between Martin and Bale can be played up. They've crafted a harmonious image in the public eye for now, but when filming starts, and their conflicts erupt, we can claim that they got too deep into their roles, being influenced by their characters."

Charles Roven, quite impressed with Nolan, said to Aulin, "See, I told you, if you say Martin is the best at marketing for an actor, Chris is certainly the best at marketing as a director."

Nolan said with a smile, "That's an overstatement."

Aulin remarked, "A huge investment is like a mountain."

Nolan added, "There's another thing, I plan to have a member of Jonathan's scriptwriting team accompany Martin on set throughout the shooting, documenting his words and actions. I've already communicated this with Martin, and he agrees, but the reports that are published must have his consent."

Charles understood Nolan's intentions: "Martin is someone who never lacks news that draws public attention." He nodded to Nolan, "We will arrange someone to discuss the details with Martin's agent."

Aulin burst into laughter, with such a director and actor skilled at stirring up drama, the film needn't worry about catching the public eye.

...

A cargo van drove into Warner Bros. Studios, turned onto a side road, and stopped next to the warehouse at The Dark Knight Studio.

Lily drove her newly acquired red Cadillac following close behind, getting out swiftly after parking and rushing to the side of the cargo van.

Linda, who was responsible for the crew's handover, had already opened the warehouse door.

Lily reported, "Supervisor, the goods are all in the van; I've moved everything over."

The crew had offered good terms, so she cleared out her entire stock of Joker sculptures in one go.

She had a cut in the sale of these items.

Giving them to Martin would not have netted her a single cent.

Lily felt that if she wanted to truly stand on her own in front of Martin and her sister Elena, rejecting the iron fist of charity, a strong financial base was pivotal.

It was time to work hard and earn money!

Linda had people unload the shipment and discovered that there were several large boxes of goods. Upon opening one of the boxes to inspect it, she found each Joker sculpture to be lifelike and of exquisite quality.

She looked at Lily, no wonder a sharp carving knife in this girl's hand was as flexible as her own fingers, poking exactly where she intended.

"Supervisor?" someone came over and asked.

Linda said, "Hurry up and count them. All items must be stored in inventory."

Several workers got busy.

Linda clearly remembered that Lily Carter was a relative of Martin Davis, who was notoriously difficult to deal with in Hollywood. She laughed and said, "Lily, you carved so many?"

Haunted by the overwhelming horror of a mass of Australian buffalo horns, Lily replied with a shudder, "In the more than half a year since I've been enrolled, I've spent all my spare time practicing. Even the birthday presents I've received are all a bunch of carving materials. I... feel like crying."

Linda thought to herself, which bastard was so cruel as to torment such a beautiful girl.

Examining the material of the carving in her hand, she asked, "Where is this material from? It looks good."

Lily, conscious of the money-making aspect of her work, said, "It seems to be Australian buffalo horns."

Linda asked, "Where did you get the stock from?"

Fearing to approach Martin and facing an iron-fisted suppression, Lily said, "Should I ask around?"

Linda nodded, "That'd be fine."

Lily made a phone call to Bruce,

and within a few minutes, Bruce had arrived.

Lily briefly explained the situation.

Linda took the initiative and asked, "Do you have a source for these materials?"

Bruce nodded, "Yes."

"The crew might need a large amount later on," Linda thought for a moment. "Leave your contact information."

Bruce left his business card with Linda and then it hit him—Martin alone couldn't possibly drive the Australian buffalo to extinction. What if they brought in an entire film crew?

Linda went on to assist with the inspection of the goods.

Lily came over and quietly asked Bruce, "Are there a lot of Australian buffalo?"

Bruce, not very knowledgeable on the subject, guessed, "They shouldn't... go extinct, should they?"

Lily, who was not an environmentalist and indifferent to animal conservation, said, "As long as they don't become extinct, that's enough."

Bruce called Martin about the matter.

After a brief consideration, Martin proposed a solution, "Here's what we'll do, Old Cloth. You partner with Elena and her brother to start an import-export business. Harris should know about these things, let him handle it. If the crew needs it, supply them exclusively with Australian specialties."

Australian buffalo and Bay Crocodile were considered pests; this was a way to help maintain their ecological balance.

After hanging up, Martin turned to Kelly and Louise in the office and said, "I just got a call tonight from Wu Maoting from Asia. He's decided not to continue investing in our project."

Louise remembered something that happened recently, "Did Warner Bros. approach him?"

Martin confirmed, "Yes, Warner Bros. invited him to invest in the fourth Terminator movie, offering many promises we couldn't make."

"Promises?" Kelly couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't you tell him that Hollywood promises are all bullshit?"

Martin shrugged, "I did, but he wouldn't listen. With the reputation of Hollywood, Wu Maoting thinks dealing directly with major companies and cutting out middlemen like us will make him even more money."

Louise commented, "Perhaps, people have their own aspirations, and we can't force them."

Martin nodded, "I'm about to head to Atlanta. Lily will be with the crew; help me keep an eye on her."

"Don't worry, leave it to me," Louise said deliberately, "Using something Lily made, we should give her some reward."

She pulled Kelly, "Whore, I'm right, am I not?"

Kelly leaned on Louise's shoulder and laughed.

Entering May, The Dark Knight crew chartered a flight to Atlanta.

Even though most people had gone to Atlanta early, a passenger plane was still filled to capacity.

The director of the crew, who was obsessed with practical effects, had all sorts of goods packed into two cargo planes.

Among them, the IMAX camera was a top priority for transport.

Although Hollywood had some 3D films, Nolan refused to let The Dark Knight be one of them,

After arriving in Atlanta, Martin locked himself in the hotel, devoting all his energy to preparing for the role and didn't even visit Elena's side.

Only two days before the crew began filming did he emerge from the hotel, meeting separately with old friends in Atlanta.