Chapter 703: Chapter 111 One After Another
A woman in her thirties, with mysterious long black hair, had so sharp features, especially her eyebrows, thin yet straight, as if telling everyone she would never give in. Yet, unlike other won wearing dresses, she opted for a masculine attire of a black suit and trousers, which imdiately set her apart with an impressive flair.
“Hi, Sofia,” Adrian imdiately responded with a smile, recognizing the woman before him, “It’s great to see you here.”
He then began introducing, “Scarlett, this is Sofia, Sofia Coppola, the renowned female director; Sofia, this is Scarlett, Scarlett Johansson, the future star.”
“Hello, Scarlett, it’s nice to et you. Oh, I rember you starred in ‘The Horse Whisperer’, right? You’re indeed an outstanding actress.”
“Thank you, Sofia. I’m glad to et you too. I’ve seen your ‘Suicide’ and it truly touches the delicate parts of the heart.”
They exchanged pleasantries like this, but Sofia’s gaze kept shifting aningfully between Scarlett and Adrian. However, she soon felt a bit uncomfortable because Scarlett was also similarly glancing between her and Adrian, equally filled with deep aning. Then, Scarlett noticed Sofia’s gaze, and the two suddenly felt awkward.
“Speaking of which, Sofia, for a great director like you to grace today’s premiere, any advice?” Adrian said, trying to lighten the mood with a laugh.
“Nothing much, I’m just accompanying my dad here,” Sofia Coppola put on an indifferent face, but that only made Adrian laugh even harder internally.
“Well then, does the respected Director Coppola have any advice?” Adrian asked earnestly, “I only greeted him briefly before.”
“There’s nothing. He just told to keep my distance from you,” Sofia stated expressionlessly, unfortunately, even Scarlett couldn’t help but smirk after hearing this.
Of course, she sensed she was being a bit pretentious, so after a light cough, she added, “But I have sothing to ask you, so I had to put his words aside for now.”
“Oh, what is it?” Adrian raised his eyebrow, letting go of the idea of delving into the “I’m just here with my dad.”
“Have you… read my script?” Sofia hesitated for two seconds before asking, her expression changing as if longing for but also dreading his approval.
“Of course,” Adrian’s eyes imdiately lit up, eager for this topic, “A good script, really good. It truly showcases the delicacy of a woman’s thoughts, and there are hardly any details that need changing.”
“Really?” Sofia’s face instantly lit up with a smile, her otherwise sharp features softened considerably, looking very pleased.
“I believe Mr. Coppola would co to the sa conclusion after reading it, Tokyo must have left a deep impression on you,” Adrian remarked admiringly, “When do you plan to start shooting?”
“Let’s set it for January next year—December is almost here and Christmas is just around the corner. If we head to Japan, we’ll be delayed, and unlike you, I don’t have that much money to splurge,” Sofia shrugged.
“If that’s the case, we might miss next year’s Cannes Film Festival,” Adrian reminded.
“Why do we have to participate in the Cannes Film Festival?” Sofia frowned slightly, “Why not the Venice Film Festival instead? I find them to be more relaxed and leisurely.”
Adrian smiled without revealing her intentions and simply said, “Frankly, Sofia, if you want to compete for an Oscar next year, participating in the Cannes Film Festival is the best strategy.”
“There’s no best strategy… Wait, did you say compete for an Oscar?!” Sofia’s expression turned to one of disbelief.
“Of course, don’t forget what kind of eyes I have,” Adrian boasted a little. “I’ve looked over the script carefully. I believe that as long as you maintain your usual standard, combined with outstanding performances from the actors, this will be a fine portrayal of loneliness in a foreign land, and it will also be amongst the top standards for female directors. Besides, the Film Academy is also trying to innovate and certainly wouldn’t want to be outdone by Cannes, so why not try your luck? You’re fully equipped.”
Sofia seed dazed, clearly stunned by his idea. But upon reflection, it seed very plausible. Just as Adrian had pointed out, earlier this year the Film Academy announced it would develop a batch of new mbers who were younger filmmakers. Although they wouldn’t play much of a decisive role in the selections, it was still a significant gesture. To ensure this, the Film Academy would not mind having its first best female director.
Sofia had the capability—as her previous two films had already proven her talent in directing—the dia had stopped fixating on her stiff acting from her acting days, and the Coppola family had good connections in Hollywood. Moreover, since Adrian had said so, he would likely support her, but still…
“But…” Sofia seed to want to add sothing.
“Stop with the ‘buts,’ Sofia. Yes, it will take a bit of luck. For you, next year is the best opportunity; missing it could an waiting many more years because, for the next few years, luck will only be on my side,” Adrian said nonchalantly, lifting his hands.
It was an arrogant statent, but coming from him, no one would think it inappropriate. Adrian had already created so many miracles that creating a few more seed trivial. Of course, neither Sofia nor Scarlett understood the real aning behind Adrian’s words.
“If it’s just a matter of funding, I can help sort so of it personally. I have so connections in Japan that can provide so necessary scenes,” Adrian continued.
Sofia made a few aningless gestures, visibly hesitating for so reason to accept Adrian’s offer: “But… there are also actors needed…”
“That’s even easier,” Adrian quickly replied, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, “For the role of the washed-up Arican actor, Bill Murray would be a perfect fit. As for the young wife of the photographer, the future star standing right in front of you would absolutely capture the essence of the character.”
“?” Scarlett, who had been listening to their conversation silently, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Yes, you, Scarlett,” Adrian nodded with a smile, “I’ve been trying to find a role that allows you to showcase your acting skills, and this one is just right. Although you’re slightly young for it, it’s a perfect fit.”
“You’re kidding, Adrian!” Sofia finally exclaid after gaping for a mont.
“No, no, no, dear Sofia,” Adrian raised his finger and shook it, “don’t say you haven’t considered Scarlett, otherwise why did you ntion ‘The Horse Whisperer’ instead of ‘The Expendables’ or ‘X-n’ just now?”
After so much talk, aside from Sofia competing for Best Director, what he most wanted to say was this. As Scarlett’s most acclaid role during her early years, it certainly should still belong to her.
“Don’t worry, Sofia, if you have ti, we can set a date to talk about it in detail.” He then smiled, not minding Sofia’s furrowed brow at all. Even if she was resistant at the mont, she would eventually be persuaded by him. anwhile, Scarlett glanced between Adrian and Sofia, similarly furrowing her brow in confusion.
Alright, let’s set that aside for the mont. As the ti drew near, the guests attending the premiere entered the auditorium, ready to enjoy this movie featuring a group of superheroes from Marvel, coming to the screen once again after ‘Blade’ and ‘Spider Man’.
In terms of the overall plot, there was not much change from the original. It started with Rogue, played by Scarlett, draining the life force from her boyfriend due to her mutation, followed by Zetajones, playing Phoenix, advocating for mutants’ rights in a speech at the US Congress, while Xavier and Magneto converse as onlookers. Rogue then encounters Wolverine, gets attacked by Sabretooth midway, and barely makes it to Mutant Academy. Professor X’s side mistakenly interprets Magneto’s target due to Wolverine and Rogue being together, and ultimately Magneto kidnaps Rogue, planning to use her as a power source atop the Statue of Liberty to turn everyone into mutants—of course, he is ultimately defeated.
However, the details were quite different. The simplest example was the lack of makeup-induced bugs from the original, such as Wolverine’s facial scar present in one shot but gone in the next, or when Magneto was caught, and Professor X ets him in prison with tal buttons still on his clothes. With prior-life mories, Adrian had emphasized this point repeatedly. Along with the established success of ‘Spider Man’, the production cycle of ‘X-n’ was extended significantly, reducing such bugs considerably and enhancing the audience’s enjoynt of the plot.
Further changes and adjustnts included establishing the world anew and planting dialogues for the entire series, such as the first on-screen encounter between Magneto and Professor X in the movie. Magneto sighed and said, “About your legs, I’ve always been sorry.” And Professor X replied, “I’ve never held it against you, Marcos. It was just an accident.”
This setting was from ‘X-n: First Class’, where a young Magneto and a young Professor X parted ways, a governnt agent on Professor X’s side, angry over his own people getting killed, shot at Magneto. Of course, this had no effect on Magneto, who blocked the bullets with one hand, while the agent, knowing it was futile, kept firing until a stray bullet hit Professor X’s spine.
Then, Sabretooth’s deanor during his first encounter with Wolverine was also very intriguing.
“Look, my brother, after all these years, you’re still just as… timid.” After making his first appearance and schooling Wolverine a bit, Sabretooth spoke in a relatively disdainful tone, seemingly taunting Wolverine.
Without a doubt, this setting ca from ‘Wolverine’, where they were brothers. Of course, they wouldn’t outright say it here, letting the audience guess for themselves. However, Sabretooth’s role did increase significantly, even saving Wolverine during the final battle. When Wolverine asked why he saved him—
“You should understand.” Sabretooth answered, “You were never a match for before, and you’re not now, even with Adamantium tal.”
Saying that, he left the battlefield, while Wolverine chased after him, shouting, “You know how much! About my past!”
“Think about what we said back then, Logan!” Sabretooth laughed and quickly fled.
Everything was in preparation for individual series for each character. Therefore, Sabretooth’s appearance in the next two films was inevitable, and the makeup was not as fuzzy as in the original. They specifically chose a handso actor who had a wild charm on-screen that could rival Jackman’s.
Comparatively, Mystique had fewer detailed interactions with Professor X and Magneto. Just before Magneto left, Professor X asked, “Is Revan doing well recently?” and Mystique, after transforming into Iceman and misleading Rogue, sneaks into the cerebral room, pours liquid into the machinery, causing Professor X to fall unconscious while using the device to locate Rogue. After completing all this, she ca out and asked Magneto, “You promised that Eric would be alright, didn’t you?”
Although these places didn’t stand out, they still caused quite a stir among comic fans after the movie’s release.
“Professor X is paralyzed because of Magneto? That’s not scientific!”
“Wolverine and Sabretooth are mortal enemies, right? How co they look like brothers!”
“A love triangle between Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique? God, that joke is too big!”
Posts like these were everywhere online, and the entertainnt dia soon joined in, publishing Marvel Comics’ settings for the main characters and then listing all the discrepancies. However, it was pointless, as both DC and Marvel Comics had a bunch of parallel universes filled with countless contradictory settings. In one universe, Magneto sacrificed himself because Professor X saved him, and consequently, he carried on his legacy and founded the Mutant Academy. So, this couldn’t be considered a plot hole.
Sure enough, Marvel’s official website soon updated its content, stating that the world of the X-n in the movie is a new parallel universe, so new settings apply. As for what these new settings were, sorry, but to avoid spoilers, they couldn’t be disclosed in detail just yet; viewers would have to find out for themselves in the movie.
Despite the outcry from comic fans, this claim inadvertently attracted a large audience to theaters, so during its first week, it topped the North Arican box office with $67 million.
As for film reviews, what more could be expected from a superhero movie adapted from a comic? Although the conflict between mutants and non-mutants inevitably alluded to so forms of racism, it was, after all, just comics and movies; as long as there was no obvious bias, there wouldn’t be a problem—this is why the movie perspective always started from Professor X and his students, and why Magneto was wise and heroic in the comics but seed foolish in the movies.
Hence, most focused on the special effects, plot structure, and character developnt—all aspects Adrian emphasized many tis when the shooting began, much like his insistence on resetting the setting to fit the real world. Plus, with ample resources in the hands of AC dia and Universal’s efficient operations, most people expressed praise.
Criticism was primarily concentrated on the plot, frustratingly, as Adrian had said during the premiere. The world of X-n was too vast, full of nurous characters, and only a segnt of the story could be adapted and transford at a ti. Since movies lasted only about two hours, it was impossible to cover all details, so plot holes were inevitable.
This was also why, when Marvel told him it was fine to redo the settings, they needed to follow these settings—for instance, the slight romantic tension between Mystique, Professor X, and Magneto, or Wolverine and Sabretooth being brothers—to write a detailed, film-adaptable story, it would be a massive task requiring a long ti to complete. Eventually, Adrian gave up fixing the worldview and logical chain, allowing them to freely play around with the base material.
Regardless, like Spider-Man, the X-n didn’t make a dazzling first-week billion but still achieved considerable success, further boosting the appeal of Marvel’s superheroes. Universal, the producer, was extrely pleased. However, this happiness had just begun; after Thanksgiving, another movie premiered, Miracle Director Adrian Cowell’s first installnt of The Lord of the Rings trilogy!
The Lord of the Rings premiere took place in the sa theater as X-n, equally grandiose. Though only Blanchett, an Oscar-winning actress, carried significant weight among the main actors—Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee were well-known but ultimately old—it didn’t matter to Tolkien’s countless fans. So found the novel a bit too dry, but to many, it was the classic and originator of fantasy literature. Hence, substantial discussion arose when Adrian officially announced he was making a movie adaptation of this novel, with supporters and detractors almost equally nurous.
Later, as limited production stills and behind-the-scenes footage were revealed, these debates gradually settled. After all, the movie had started filming, and how good it was would only be known upon release. If it happened to be terrible, criticism and even denigration wouldn’t be too late.
Who knew that just waiting would span more than a year? Although it was understood that shooting three parts at once required ti, as did post-production and schedule arrangent, waiting inevitably caused irritation. Interestingly, few complained about this online because once ntioned on popular forums how too long it took waiting for The Lord of the Rings movie adaptation, a whole lot of The Matrix fans would erge, suggesting that waiting a re year was trivial.
“You’ve only waited a year; it took us three years to even glimpse the dawn!” they expressed both anger and wistfulness.
Now that it was finally premiering, book and movie fans naturally headed to the premiere’s red carpet, making the event as lively as X-n’s, leaving Adrian, who attended one after another, full of emotions. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welco to vote and give monthly tickets on qidian; your support is my greatest motivation.)
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