Compared to "Fast & Furious 4," "Cloud Atlas" faced far less competition in its release schedule. Among the films opening wide on the sa weekend, the only notable one was "The Proposal," starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. In its second weekend, the most prominent newcor was a film starring Caron Diaz.
But in terms of investnt, star power, and publicity, "Cloud Atlas" was on a completely different level.
The real competition for "Cloud Atlas" was "Transforrs: Revenge of the Fallen," which had premiered at the end of June.
It was safe to say that "Cloud Atlas" had a very favorable release slot.
On the day of the premiere, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, and the Wachowskis were all confident of success.
Matthew accepted an invitation to attend the premiere. The invitation had co not only from Natalie Portman but also from Touchstone Pictures, the film's distributor.
Touchstone Pictures is a subsidiary of Disney, specializing in the production and distribution of live-action films, and Matthew and Disney had a close working relationship.
Still, he was mindful of the etiquette for soone else's premiere and kept a low profile. He walked the red carpet quickly and, upon entering the interview area, only exchanged a few brief words with the press.
As he was leaving the interview area, Lana Wachowski was giving an interview.
"Even when filming goes very smoothly, there will always be so differences between the final film and the script. We made a lot of adjustnts on set—so to match the atmosphere of the ti, and others to make the film flow more seamlessly."
"Overall, all these adjustnts pushed the film in a better direction. The actors we hired, including Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman, are just magnificent. They can elevate their characters to a grander, more ethereal realm..."
Bypassing Lana Wachowski's interview, Matthew walked out and headed toward the theater.
Once inside, since the red carpet arrivals were still ongoing, Matthew went to the VIP lounge. He was soon approached by familiar faces, including directors, screenwriters, producers, and studio executives.
The directors wanted to cast him, the screenwriters pitched him their amazing scripts, the producers wanted to collaborate with him, and the studio executives wanted the distribution rights for films he starred in or produced.
The people from Disney, in particular, ntioned "The Hunger Gas" several tis.
Now that "The Hunger Gas" was in early developnt, Matthew wasn't keeping it a secret. The news had long since spread throughout the industry, and with the massive sales of "Twilight" fresh in everyone's minds, many companies were vying for the distribution rights.
Matthew wasn't actively looking for a distributor yet, but Disney was one of the potential candidates.
After all, Disney already had the "Twilight" series in hand. Given that "The Hunger Gas" shared a similar genre and target audience, giving the film to Disney could save resources.
As for Warner Bros., the two parties were about to begin negotiations on "The Hobbit" series. Matthew was scheduled to et with Peter Jackson to sort out the more practical details.
With the "Harry Potter" series coming to an end, Warner Bros. was also on the hunt for new projects suitable for the young adult market.
After navigating through the crowd, Matthew found a corner and sat down at a small table.
He sat for a little while but saw no sign of Brad Pitt or Natalie Portman; presumably, the male and female leads were scheduled to make their appearance last.
He wondered if Angelina Jolie would co.
Although Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt hadn't broken up in the past two years, their relationship was reportedly not going well.
Sitting alone and bored, Matthew mused to himself. Angelina Jolie was an important person in his life, the one who had given him his entry into Hollywood. Maybe, just like ten years ago with Jonny Lee Miller, he could help her again—this ti, by getting her off Pitt's sinking ship?
"I am a grateful person, after all!" he muttered.
Matthew didn't get to see Angelina Jolie. Instead, he spotted an old friend.
"Hey, Rachel," Matthew called out, waving a hand. "Over here."
Rachel Weisz turned her head, and upon seeing Matthew, she imdiately walked over. Matthew stood up and opened his arms, pulling her into a warm hug.
"Long ti no see." Matthew stepped back, looking her over. "You're as sexy and beautiful as ever," he declared.
Rachel Weisz smiled. "Matthew, you're still as silver-tongued as ever."
Since Rachel was wearing a form-fitting dress, Matthew remarked, "Right now, I deeply regret not pursuing you back then."
"You never had a chance," Rachel Weisz replied with a grin. "I'm already engaged."
Matthew shook his head with mock regret and sighed dramatically. "I let the first goddess of my life get away."
Rachel Weisz reached out and pointed a finger at him. "You chose the whole beautiful world instead."
At that, she couldn't help but chuckle, and Matthew laughed along with her.
Although he and Rachel weren't the closest of friends, they had t when he was still a minor actor. Back then, Rachel had looked out for him on set, and they had a very good relationship.
She was soone who had been kind to him before he had any status, so he had always held a fond impression of her.
"Why did you co to the premiere?" Matthew asked.
"Natalie Portman invited ," Rachel replied. "I've known Nat for a few years. We're friends."
Matthew nodded, but before he could say anything else, he caught a glimpse of Natalie Portman approaching out of the corner of his eye.
Natalie Portman saw Matthew turn his head and imdiately greeted him with a smile. "Hi, Matthew." She shook his hand first before embracing Rachel Weisz. "Thank you for coming, Rachel."
"Of course," Rachel Weisz said, pulling back from the hug. "We're friends, after all."
Matthew watched them, getting the sense that Rachel genuinely considered Natalie Portman a friend.
They chatted idly for a while.
For the most part, Rachel and Natalie Portman did the talking, while Matthew only interjected with a few words here and there.
The two were discussing a new film by Rachel Weisz's fiancé, Darren Aronofsky.
"Nat, did you read the script I gave you?" Rachel Weisz asked. "What did you think?"
"It's magnificent," Natalie Portman said with a radiant smile.
Rachel Weisz bead. "'Black Swan' was written by Darren especially for . He started working on the script from the mont we t and only recently finished it. He said he's going to use this film to help
win an Oscar."
Hearing this, Matthew glanced at Rachel Weisz, then at Natalie Portman, feeling that sothing was slightly off.
Natalie Portman appeared deeply impressed. "Darren is so talented. And to gift you a script and a role like that..."
As if struggling to find the right words, she finally said, "I'm so envious."
Rachel smiled, looking especially happy. "Actually, I've always wanted to work with you, but there's only a supporting actress role..."
Natalie Portman replied, "A supporting role is great, too." She smiled. "I'm very interested, Rachel. Do you think I could talk to Darren about the part?"
Seeing how frank and open Natalie Portman was being, Rachel Weisz naturally had no objections, nodding readily. "I'll set up a eting for you with him soti."
Matthew watched from the sidelines, able to tell that Natalie Portman was genuinely interested in a role in "Black Swan," while Rachel Weisz seed simply delighted.
Natalie took Rachel's arm. "I have so many questions. I was just looking for a talented director to consult with."
Hearing her fiancé praised, Rachel grew even happier. "Darren is definitely talented. I'm sure he can help you."
The two won chatted cheerfully. Matthew didn't interrupt their conversation until Natalie Portman had to leave to greet other guests. Then he turned to Rachel and said, "Shall we head into the screening room?"
For so reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that sothing about the conversation between Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman was just not quite right.
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