"I'm not a softie, I'm hard!"
In the hospital ward, hysterical shouts rang out: "I'm not a jerk, I'm Batman!"
Nolan stood outside the ward, listening to Bell's familiar voice, thinking that the situation was not bad, and Bell still knew that he was Batman.
Parker's face looked ugly, and Bell was awakened by nightmares again.
Yesterday, Bell woke up a little and the two chatted for a while. Bell felt that all the problems lay with Martin Davis.
But he asked dozens of people on the crew, some of whom were actors or behind-the-scenes employees of the company, and almost everyone believed that the problem lay with Bell himself.
Since arriving in Atlanta, Martin has been very friendly to everyone on the set, while Bell has always had a dark face and gets angry from time to time. When his wife came to visit the crew and they had a falling out, everyone on the set had an extremely bad impression of Bell.
One person may be wrong, two people may be wrong, but everyone can't be wrong, right?
Now, even Parker thinks that the biggest problem is Bell. The trigger should be that Hebby wanted to divorce him and he also called him a gay bastard in public, which caused a mental shock.
Parker has read the script of The Dark Knight. Batman's mental state is problematic in the above setting. Opposite is a clown who is extremely crazy and evil. If Bell is hit one after another, it is not impossible that he will have some mental problems.
Just as he was thinking about it, Bell's roar came over: "I am Batman, I am a symbol of justice, I want to kill the clown! I killed the evil clown!"
The screenwriter who followed Nolan had a tape recorder with excellent recording effect in his pocket and recorded all of Bell's roars.
Nolan has such a keen sense of smell that he considers bad things to be good before he comes.
Parker said: "Bell is so involved in the role that he still hasn't broken out of the character."
Nolan nodded casually and asked, "His family didn't come over?"
"Xibi wants to divorce him and won't come over." Parker had a headache: "His parents are in the UK and they don't have much contact with each other."
Nolan said: "Let's go and meet Martin."
The group of people went up a floor and came to a ward. Nolan stepped forward and said hello: "Old Bu, I'm here to see Martin."
Bruce, who was sitting on the bench by the door, stood up: "Please wait a moment."
Bruce went in, and then a group of people came out of the ward. Nolan saw Jerome, the owner of the largest local entertainment agency, and Kelly Gray, the president of Gray Films.
Both sides nodded and said hello.
Nolan and Parker entered Martin's hospital room.
The screenwriter over there was stopped by Bruce.
"Old Bu..."
"Just wait." Bruce pointed to his pocket.
The screenwriter turned off the tape recorder, sat on the bench, and smiled sheepishly: "It's work responsibilities, don't be offended."
Nolan entered the ward and found that in addition to Martin and his agent Thomas, there was also a beautiful young woman whose temperament and style were obviously not from the industry.
Martin was half sitting on the hospital bed, looking a little weak, and greeted Nolan: "Director, I'm fine, I'd like to bother you with a run."
"It should be." Nolan introduced Parker: "This is Bell's agent."
Martin's expression changed and he said: "I have made the biggest concession on this matter. I have not called the police to deal with it. I will not give in anymore."
Parker said quickly: "Mr. Davis, I am here to visit you on the one hand, and on the other hand to express my apology on behalf of Bell and negotiate for follow-up matters."
Martin looked at Thomas: "You go and talk, I'm dizzy and uncomfortable."
Thomas walked next to Parker: "Let's talk somewhere else?"
"Okay." Parker stood up and followed Thomas out of the ward.
Elena brought Nolan English black tea and said to Martin: "It's getting late. I'll go back first. If you need anything, call me anytime."
Martin nodded slightly: "Don't let Hall and Harris come over."
Elena picked up her purse and left the ward.
After the door closed, Nolan said: "Bell's mental state is unstable and he cannot apologize to you in person."
Martin said: "I heard from Lao Bu that Bell was clamoring to kill me."
Nolan corrected: "It's Batman who wants to kill the Joker."
Martin didn't care about this: "I never provoked him, but he wanted to kill me."
Nolan asked: "Have you thought about what will happen next?"
"No." Martin looked magnanimous: "Director, to tell you the truth, I am a little uncomfortable, but it is not serious and I do not need to be hospitalized for observation. I am hiding in the ward just to avoid the right and wrong. No."
This is consistent with Nolan's judgment of Martin's physical condition. He said: "We are in an industry where the exposure is too high and we cannot hide."
Martin simply asked: "What did the crew think about it?"
Nolan had already discussed it with Charles Rowan and said: "According to the agreement, the crew has the right to deduct Bale's completion bonus and give you another US$2 million as a special subsidy."
Martin understood that the $2 million was most likely derived from the completion bonus deducted by Bell, and the purpose was to block his mouth and prevent him from calling the police.
Maybe he needs to cooperate with something else.
Nolan glanced at Martin and saw that Martin had no expression and said, "You can raise your opinion if you have any."
Martin seemed to be thinking about the crew and the film: "I think this matter should not be disclosed to the outside world casually, otherwise it would be bad if it has a negative impact on the release of the film."
Hearing this, Nolan suddenly felt relieved. Whichever director the investment pressure of 180 million US dollars falls on, that director can personally feel the huge pressure like a mountain.
If not, how could he come forward in person to talk to Martin about how to turn bad things into good things.
Nolan said: "This incident was made public and had a great impact on the crew. I discussed it with Charles and Orlin, and also had a phone call with Louise, and came up with a preliminary plan."
Martin moved his body slightly so that he could sit more comfortably: "I would like to hear the details."
"Because the character and plot design are too special, you and Bell devoted all their energy to the performance, which led to being too deep into the play." Nolan did not tell the screenwriter this time, but first sought Martin's opinion. After all, if he wanted to implement it, Martin would It is the core key.
And once Martin disagrees and insists on calling the police, the plan is useless.
He was more careful with his words: "As the filming time continued and after several months of performances, both you and Bale were greatly affected by the characters' personalities and scenes. The relationship turned to antagonism like Batman and the Joker, and the hostility transferred from the scene to the scene. Plus, they end up fighting like the Joker and Batman."
Nolan thought for a while and then said: "The cameraman took pictures of the conflict between you and Bell out of habit. I made it clear in advance that if this is used as the tone, the second half of the conflict will definitely be cut."
Batman being beaten up by the Joker must not be exposed, Martin already knew this.
He was silent for a moment and said simply and directly: "I personally think that the Joker and I are more suitable as the core of propaganda."
Nolan was mentally prepared for this: "The clown is the core point of the entire film."
Martin put on a look of careful consideration.
Nolan knew that Martin had always had some tricks up his sleeve in publicity and marketing, so he didn't bother him.
After a long time, Martin said: "Is this the case? I performed too well. In order to maintain my condition, I acted like a clown on the set all the time. Therefore, Bell was brought into the play by me and attacked me like Batman..."
Nolan grasped the essence of it and put it another way: "Because your clown was so good that Bale, who was stuck in the role, mistook you on the set for the clown in the play?"
Of course, Martin will not give up what he has to fight for: "Yes, that's it. Bale is always brought into the play unknowingly by the clown on the set."
Nolan felt that this was more of a selling point than he thought, so he simply asked: "Where's Bell?"
Martin shared his joy without hesitation: "The Joker I played was so good. Not only did he force Batman to become furious and throw away some of his bottom lines in the movie, but the actor who played Batman also had a huge impact on the Joker's madness and extreme evil. The mental pressure caused some mental problems."
He smiled and said: "Whether it is depression, neurosis, or mental problems, the crew is more professional than me in this aspect. They will definitely be able to find the most suitable mental illness for Bell based on his actual situation."
Nolan wanted to laugh, but it wasn't suitable. The director still has to maintain his character and not act like an actor.
He said seriously: "Martin, you are right. The Joker is too outstanding. He is flamboyant, evil, crazy, and cruel. He has reached an insurmountable height and has even profoundly affected the actors who starred opposite him. Bell has the same spirit as Batman." There’s a lot of pressure and something goes wrong. Of course, you’re the one who goes wrong.”
"I understand." Martin would also be tortured by the clown because he got too involved in the play. He asked, "Is Bell's condition serious?"
Nolan said: "The crew will find the best psychological and psychiatric doctors for him to get him back to normal as much as possible."
Martin secretly murmured, and he had a feeling that if Bale kept talking like this in the future, it might not be a bad thing from a commercial perspective.
Almost at the same time, Nolan, who has a keen business acumen, also came up with a similar idea.
A Bell who is neurotic due to the duel between Batman and the Joker has more commercial value to the film than a normal Bell.
In his setting of the film, Batman is a character with extremely serious psychological problems.
But neither Martin nor Nolan, two guys with evil intentions, said anything.
How could a good director and a good actor with a good external image have such despicable thoughts?
Even if such a situation occurs when the crew is promoting and marketing, it was caused by the publicity department.
On Martin's side, no one except Bruce knew what he had done.
Nolan was very satisfied with the results of this exchange with Martin, and he was extremely satisfied with Martin himself. He felt that the young actor was too suitable for him.
The two discussed for a long time before Nolan said goodbye and left.
There is no result yet from Thomas and Parker's side, and it will probably take a few days.
Martin also figured out that the $2 million was not only compensation, but also a publicity fee to buy his cooperation.
Nolan left Martin's ward, called the caring screenwriter who was with him, and planned to go downstairs to visit Bell while Parker was away.
After going downstairs, Nolan said to the screenwriter: "Where's the mini camera? Did you bring it?"
The screenwriter patted the bag and said, "It's right here, you can open it and use it."
Nolan thought that similar materials would need to be used for subsequent promotions. If Bell was completely sober later, he could negotiate. If not, he would seek authorization.
He whispered: "Take a picture of Bell's current state."
The screenwriter responded, thinking that the director had upgraded so quickly, using a camera instead of a pen.
(End of chapter)
