In late September, Matthew received word from Marvel that the "Iron Man" team had finalized casting for the male lead. Robert Downey Jr. had successfully auditioned and signed a long-term contract to play Tony Stark.
Initially, Marvel Studios had wanted to sign Robert Downey Jr. for seven films, but he refused.
He was certainly in a tough spot, struggling to find good opportunities beyond trailing George Clooney in film and television projects, and almost everyone in the industry was skeptical of him.
But Robert Downey Jr. was no fool; he understood this was a rare opportunity. However, he couldn't chain himself entirely to the Marvel ship. A seven-film contract was too much, and after so negotiation, they finally reached a deal.
In addition to "Iron Man," Robert Downey Jr.'s contract included three more films in which Iron Man was set to officially appear.
Of course, before those three future projects began, both parties could return to the negotiating table regarding his salary.
However, this agreent would inevitably cap Robert Downey Jr.'s salary to a certain extent.
Whether Robert Downey Jr. would later explode with demands for a massive salary increase after his contract expired was none of Matthew's concern. By then, his own investnt agreent with Marvel would have also run its course.
At that point, even if he still wanted to invest, Marvel would likely have little interest.
Once Robert Downey Jr. was confird for the lead role, Matthew read the final script and saw that the story was virtually unchanged from what he rembered. So, for the ti being, he set the Marvel matter aside.
Matthew returned to Warner Studios, where he had been working almost daily since late September, partly to keep up with the post-production of "300" and partly because the start of filming for "I Am Legend" was just around the corner.
"The promotion has been excellent, even better than expected."
In the post-production studio's café, David Ellison took a sip of his coffee and looked at Matthew, who was sitting across the table. "All of North Arica is talking about... well, about our trailers and promotional posters."
The promotional wave had kicked up a frenzy David Ellison hardly knew how to describe. People, especially won, were going wild over Matthew.
"Uh, Matthew," he began, setting his coffee cup aside and asking hesitantly, "is it especially easy to pick up beautiful won when you've got... an advantage like that?"
Matthew froze for a rare mont before shaking his head half a second later. "I don't think that has anything to do with it. Before I was famous, not a single actress or model ever wanted to so much as talk to . Even when I tried to start a conversation, they mostly just ignored ."
He shrugged and added, "The aura of stardom is the only weapon that really works."
David continued, "Like how the vast majority of won who approach
only do it because I'm rich?"
Matthew nodded. "Sothing like that. In any case, the actresses and models I've been with were always more interested in my celebrity status than in
as a person."
Then he pointed to his own face and said smugly, "Of course, my looks have to be part of the reason for all this popularity."
David couldn't help but smile. He proposed, "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is in Los Angeles this year. Why don't we go together and see who can pick up more models?"
"Are you sure it's in Los Angeles?" Matthew asked. He seed to recall sothing about the Victoria's Secret show.
"Yeah. It's being held at the Kodak Theatre."
"Alright, David."
"Those models care even more about fa and fortune than actresses do. Since we're both rich and famous, we're guaranteed to get sowhere."
In that regard, Matthew and David Ellison were kindred spirits.
The show wasn't until December, so the two chatted for a while longer before David asked about Matthew's investnts.
"Did you borrow that money from
just to invest in a Marvel superhero movie?"
Matthew couldn't deny it. "Yes. Marvel Entertainnt created a subsidiary, Marvel Studios, to adapt 'Iron Man.' They wanted
for the lead role a while back, but I turned it down."
The dia had already widely reported his investnt in Marvel, so it wouldn't take much for David to connect the dots.
David looked at Matthew. "I've heard about that project for a while now, but the vast majority of people don't think much of it. I considered it too risky myself."
Matthew smiled. "I'm willing to take the risk."
In truth, Matthew could tell that David Ellison had matured a great deal in the past two years. While he was still far from being a great investor, he was no longer the blind, impulsive kid he used to be. He was cautious when it ca to major investnts that were extrely risky.
"I'm going to keep investing in you," David declared. "I'll follow your lead and put money into the films you star in."
He looked at Matthew. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
Matthew replied, "I'd be more than happy to have a rich backer like you."
He tapped his fingers on the table. "But let's be clear on one thing: if you invest, no matter what happens with the production, you're on my side."
The past two years had been smooth sailing, so to speak, but he had inevitably crossed paths with certain people and might face unexpected situations in the future.
"Don't worry, Matthew," David said with conviction. "We're friends and partners. We're in the sa boat."
Judging by the reaction to the "300" trailer, the film's chances of success were far greater than its chances of failure. And considering the consistent success of Matthew's previous films, David was sure of one thing: Matthew clearly had a unique instinct for choosing film projects that others didn't understand.
Besides, his box-office appeal was undeniably strong. Several of his films hadn't received high ratings or much publicity, yet they had managed to turn a huge profit, with his leading performance being the clear and central draw.
If "300" also turned out to be a major success, then so of his future investnt decisions wouldn't require so much effort—he could simply follow Matthew's lead.
Matthew chatted with David for a little longer, then went to find Zack, who had lost a lot of weight, likely from being overworked lately.
He was in the editing room, and for a while, he watched the post-production footage. Both the visual style and the high-speed slow-motion effects were reminiscent of the very sa film he had seen before.
Zack Snyder was Zack Snyder; his unique style hadn't changed a bit.
"I think this is probably the high point of my career."
Standing next to Matthew, Zack gazed at the monitor and said, "I'll never be able to create sothing like this again."
Matthew clapped him on the shoulder. "This is only the beginning."
Matthew guessed that after this film, Zack Snyder would beco closely tied to Warner Bros., and in a few years, Christopher Nolan would recomnd that Matthew himself work on the DC Universe and the Justice League.
It would be rather interesting to see the two of them—him and Zack—with one at Marvel and the other moving to DC.
Of course, DC and Marvel didn't tear each other apart the way their fans did. In recent years, the two companies had maintained a good relationship, with strong private ties and countless instances of mutual imitation. It wasn't uncommon for heroes from both companies to occasionally clash or trade barbs in the comics.
He still vaguely rembered the various online fla wars between fans of the DC and Marvel cinematic universes—battles that were often more thrilling than the DC and Marvel superhero films combined.
After having lunch with Zack, Matthew headed over to the "I Am Legend" set, also at Warner Studios, to et and chat with Akiva and Guillermo del Toro.
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