Chapter 905: Chapter 311: She Cos from Jerusalem!
At the start of the new year, the kind of situation where there are big comrcial films released every week like during the Christmas period no longer happens. The entire market has begun to fall back. Apart from those movies that continue to rake in money, each company is also beginning to consider their arrangents for the new year, such as film release schedules, upcoming award ceremonies, as well as new film investnts and productions, among other things.
Adrian was no exception. He was eagerly looking for soone to take over Caron’s role and set up the frawork for the next two Transforrs movies.
This was not easy, not at all easy. Caron did such a phenonal job with the first one. Without saying anything else, this movie has grossed $1.1 billion worldwide so far! And in so regions, it hasn’t even been taken off the screens. Whether it ultimately hits $1.2 billion or not, it’s still an astonishing record. Although it falls nearly half short of Titanic’s astonishing $2 billion, there’s no denying that the two highest-grossing films in the world co from Jas Caron.
Think of the original version, only a little more than $700 million worldwide, nearly doubled. Truly, Caron is amazing. Faced with such an insurmountable mountain, and one that critics and fans will inevitably compare to, with box office being the most obvious evidence, anyone taking over must weigh their own capabilities.
Adrian mostly considered Michael Bay, at least he knows what the audience wants to see. Even if the plot has flaws, he can use other thods to attract the audience’s attention. As for the plot, after carefully studying the Harry Potter series, he had realized that maintaining the quality of a series at the sa level was an impossible task.
However, it was not easy to take over Caron’s role, as ntioned above. Moreover, Michael Bay himself did not like directing sequel films — perhaps he realized that taking over a sequel inevitably leads to comparisons with the previous director, a feeling he dislikes. But, things haven’t been going well for him these past few years. The several movies he produced after parting ways with Brokheir all lost money, whereas he did make so profit from the horror films he co-invested with Bossworth. Maybe he could do sothing with that? Plus, he had a good relationship with DreamWorks…
In the end, Adrian decided to let soone contact him temporarily, see his specific reaction, and then decide. Afterward, he shifted his attention back to his own film.
Because film companies were not particularly concerned about the January schedule, movies previously screened would gradually be released around this ti, so Locke was scheduled for mid-January. Many film critics had already watched and written reviews during the preview, so it did not cause too much of a sensation. However, precisely because of this, the debate about the film never ceased, and it split into three factions.
First, there were the professional critics who seriously reviewed the film with mostly similar viewpoints, acknowledging Natalie’s superb acting, which contained a kind of inexplicable impact. However, despite the film being well-controlled and the suspense hidden until the last mont, there were so missing details in places that were handled very well, so compared to Adrian’s previous works, Locke only received a score of 80.
Then there are the fan groups, Adrian’s and Natalie’s. Rational fans would analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the story and acting, but die-hard fans could always find a point of view to prove their idol was the best. Especially Natalie’s fans, those who fell for Amidala because of Star Wars are very enthusiastic, and her performance in Locke is also extrely brilliant, so you can see so exaggerated praises of her online.
The third group is those who criticize for the sake of criticizing. These people co from various backgrounds but have a common trait, which is a dislike for Adrian. So, they take any opportunity to criticize the Miracle Director’s flaws with delight, and with others fanning the flas, their voices are not small. The purpose behind Adrian’s production of Locke, they spread the most, and as ntioned, with his actions in recent years, it’s not hard to guess.
So, “Did Adrian buy off the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?” This title circulated on so websites for quite a while, and there is no need to explain the purpose. Diehard fans naturally defend their idols. In their view, awarding Adrian or Natalie all the Oscar statuettes, let alone a few awards, wouldn’t be an issue. As for critics, well, such matters are irrelevant to their profession, so there’s no need to pay them mind.
Adrian didn’t pay attention either, which perhaps left him a little passive in public opinion, but the real effect was minimal. If he were a film company owner or just a producer, these criticisms might be botherso, but don’t forget, he was a dia mogul.
Therefore, the effect of these tactics was at best only half of the usual, and since it had already reached this point, he had long been prepared for what he might face, and no one could stop him.
“Everything’s already set, now all that’s left to do is wait patiently, my dear Nata,” Adrian said, stroking the body in his arms, his tone teasing.
Natalie, her eyes half-closed, made a few aningless sounds, still imrsed in the afterglow of earlier, naturally unable to pick up on the teasing flavor in his words. Adrian didn’t say much else, pecking a kiss on her not-so-large soft chest, then started to fondle again.
Of course, speaking aside, there was still one thing that needed to be settled to actually achieve it; difficult, but not impossible.
Bang! A gunshot rang out, and in the distant bushes, a mule deer fell in response.
“Yes!” Dressed in outdoor hunting attire, Adrian put down the shotgun, clenched his fist in a powerful wave in the air, an unmistakable excitent on his face. Then he gestured for soone to go retrieve the deer.
“I have to say, nice shot, Ed, it’s a sha it’s just a three-pointer, a five-pointer would have been perfect.” John Campbell, also dressed in hunting attire, shaded his eyes and looked into the distance, ruefully comnting.
The winding, undulating hills spread out, with large patches of shrubs beneath towering oak trees, making the surroundings appear vibrant. This was the San Antonio Valley Nature Reserve in southern California, one of the most famous hunting spots on the West Coast. Every year from October to January, many people co here to hunt wild deer. However, the eastern section where Adrian and Campbell were now had few visitors because it wasn’t open to the public. Of course, for soone like Adrian, this wasn’t an issue.
“It’s fine; I’ve found my rhythm. From now on, this won’t just be your personal event,” Adrian said smugly, having soone reload the shotgun.
“Is that so?” Campbell laughed. “I admit your marksmanship is great, Ed, but hitting prey isn’t just about being a good shot; it takes patience, resilience, and a bit of luck.”
He said this while glancing at his own prey — about three deer, a rather impressive haul — set aside in the distance.
“Good marksmanship is fundantal,” Adrian smiled slightly. “Just like winning awards in films, though decisive factors involve all aspects, quality is always foundational. Without that, everything else is but an illusion.”
Campbell didn’t reply, checked his shotgun, and then walked forward, “I hope to shoot a wild boar, here.”
Adrian didn’t mind, followed along and continued, “You know, guns, cars, they’re a man’s passion, and I’m no different. Aside from collecting cars, I’m a mber of several top firearm clubs. I’ve played with many famous guns, maybe not the best, but enough to bag my own prey once familiarized, and…”
He chuckled aningfully, “I’ve always been quite lucky.”
Campbell still didn’t respond, but after walking for quite a while over the raised hills, he lifted a pair of binoculars to take a look, shook his head, and then turned to Adrian with a sigh. “What more could you want, Ed? You’ve achieved your goal. I can share a little news: within the Academy, there’s endless debate about Pianist. You just need a gentle push to get what you want, achieving what no one else has.”
He knew well in his heart that Adrian inviting him out for hunting, especially in the San Antonio Valley Nature Reserve, wasn’t just for hunting.
“Of course,” Adrian replied in a relaxed tone as he followed Ed with a shotgun in hand, “I’ve prepared for this for so long, not for failure, but—don’t you think ‘Locke’ is also a great movie? Don’t you think Natalie’s performance in it is the pinnacle of her acting career?”
“Oh?” Campbell raised an eyebrow imdiately, showing a look of interest, “It seems you really like that girl, Ed.”
“Natalie is an outstanding actress, I think she deserves her reward,” Adrian said without showing any emotion.
“No, no, no, Ed,” Campbell shook his head vigorously, “Even if it were ten years ago, she still wouldn’t stand a chance. You should understand, perhaps the Academy would like to see the first actress to win Best Actress consecutively, but it definitely won’t be soone so young as her.”
“But she’s a very good template, the kind Hollywood wants most,” Adrian said leisurely, “It’s beneficial for enhancing the image of Hollywood and the entire film industry.”
“I know what you an, every year countless high school graduates, or even those without a high school diploma, co here looking for employnt or seeking fa, but only a small fraction actually get to appear in films and TV shows, and then only a fraction of those land formal roles, and even fewer beco famous, while most eventually just…” Campbell shrugged as he reached this point, “So to the public, or conservatives, Hollywood is deed a place of indulgence and decadence, where stars are viewed as shallow individuals without higher education, and it’s seen as the land of the bad girl image.”
He paused, then looked at Adrian: “Indeed, it’s a problem. Although Dante said, ‘Go your own way and let others talk,’ we all know that image is very important, especially for a massive entity. However—”
Campbell shifted his tone: “It’s not that there aren’t highly educated stars, so why choose Natalie?”
“It’s not just about high education, John,” Adrian still maintained his calm deanor, “In my view, the template we need should be like this: smart, highly educated, with charisma and acting talent, her looks shouldn’t be such that they’re beautiful enough to overshadow other qualities, yet still attractive. Hence, she should start as a child star, not exceedingly popular, but must be controversial; she doesn’t need to be too beautiful, but must have charisma and character; furthermore, she should have a high education, preferably an Ivy League graduate; and finally, she should have played roles that showcase both feminine fragility and strength.”
Campbell was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed snidely: “I have to say it again, Ed, it seems you really like that girl, going to such lengths, putting in such effort, weren’t you prepared for this over ten years ago?”
“You think I’m talking about Natalie?” Adrian raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, and then burst into laughter, “No, no, no, wrong, John, wrong!”
He smirked devilishly with a knowingness: “I’m not talking about Natalie, I’m talking about—Judi Foster!”
Indeed, as one of Hollywood’s most accomplished female stars, Judi Foster completely fits the criteria Adrian described. She began her modeling career in comrcials at the age of three, and her breakthrough role was in Scorsese’s 1976 film ‘Taxi Driver’ as the young prostitute, which made her the most popular child star of the ti, generating considerable controversy, so much so that years later soone attempted to assassinate the president because of her.
Afterward, she attended Yale University, majoring in literature, and her thesis on the African-Arican female writer Toni Morrison garnered her significant attention in her field. Though she experienced ups and downs following the assassination attempt, many believed that if ‘The Accused’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’ had been consecutive, she might have been the first actress to win consecutive Oscars.
Thanks to these two films, Foster beca a representative of the strong female lead, along with her inherently independent nature, making her a unique figure in Hollywood. So even if she’s not the standard beautiful woman, her face seeming a bit square, her charisma is indeed captivating.
Of course, Natalie also fits these conditions, which is why Campbell asked without hesitation. However, after hearing Adrian’s answer, he wasn’t particularly surprised and maintained silence while occasionally lifting binoculars to search for prey nearby, while Adrian patiently stood by him.
“Do you know why it’s Judi Foster?” Campbell finally asked after a long ti, then answered his own question without waiting for Adrian to reply, “Because she is a lesbian.”
Adrian opened his mouth but didn’t utter a word; this indeed was an issue. In truth, he had unintentionally overlooked this important condition while saying those things earlier.
Being a child star signifies that Hollywood’s star-making chanism is robust, not every child star ends up fading into obscurity; a high education signifies that not all Hollywood stars are shallow and ignorant; not being pretty but charismatic suggests that Hollywood is not all about appearances; and appropriately showcasing both feminine softness and strength through roles can allow female stars to embody the image that fits mainstream social norms.
Additionally, it’s crucial for gossip and scandals to be kept minimal, reflecting the stars’ self-restraint. As a lesbian, Judi Foster leads an extrely low-key personal life, the paparazzi are not omnipotent, besides, she is favored by the Film Academy, and is one of Hollywood’s images, so even if nurous people suspect her of being a lesbian, there hasn’t been definitive evidence, hence she remains Hollywood’s emblematic strong woman.
Although Natalie ets other criteria, once ‘Locke’ was released, basically everyone could confirm her relationship with the Miracle Director, no matter how she tried to hide it, Adrian’s identity had already been widely recognized.
Of course, since Adrian chose to persuade Campbell for help, he must have considered all aspects of the situation, so he quickly spoke again: “For Foster, it’s indeed an advantage, but often, an advantage can turn into a disadvantage. Do you know how many events GLAAD has held in the past two years? Two states have already allowed sa-sex couples to marry, and more states will pass similar laws as long as there’s no ‘Brokeback Mountain’, it will still happen. More homosexuals will boldly reveal their sexual orientation to the public, and Foster will certainly be one of them.”
It has been ntioned before, the United States is, overall, a conservative country, don’t be fooled by the fervent activities of gay organizations, within the broader societal context, they’re still on the periphery, just that discrimination isn’t as overt. In this situation, Foster’s low-key nature can continue, but once she publicly reveals her sexuality, even if everyone knows it, the negative impact wouldn’t be much less than Natalie having an affair with the Miracle Director.
“So things are actually easy to resolve, for normal female stars, being completely gossip-free is impossible, as long as it’s within an acceptable range, it’s fine. Anyway, Foster will sooner or later be replaced, Hollywood’s template isn’t singular, so why can’t Natalie fill this void?” Adrian continued.
But Campbell seed not to hear him, as he lifted his shotgun, focusing intently on his aim, from afar, a deer occasionally bowed down to graze between two oak trees.
Adrian wasn’t concerned about Campbell’s attitude; this was normal, after all, his request indeed seed fantastical, and previously acquiring those awards had placed considerable pressure on the Film Academy. Unfortunately, Adrian never fights a battle unprepared, he still had an ace up his sleeve.
“Moreover,” glancing towards Campbell’s aim, he spoke again, “Natalie is not without advantages, besides my support, she has one attribute that none can compare to.”
Adrian lifted his mouth again, revealing that knowing and cunning smile: “She cos from Jerusalem!”
Bang! The gunshot rang out, and a distant deer imdiately fled in alarm, missing the shot. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian), your support is my greatest motivation.)
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