When he came out of the terminal of Los Angeles International Airport, Martin saw Lily, who came here specially to pick him up today.
"Get in the car quickly, we can't stay here for long!" Lily opened the trunk of the red Cadillac, asked Martin and Bruce to put their luggage, waved them into the car, and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Go home," Martin said.
Lily started the car and drove out of the terminal passage: "I went to your house specially the day before yesterday and cleaned the house. I almost died from exhaustion."
Martin patted the driver's seat: "I'm ready."
Lily said: "You gave me a car and helped me find such a good part-time job. If I don't do something for you, let alone Elena, I will beat myself."
Speaking of this, she thought of the tragic experience she had when she returned to Atlanta a few days ago, and encouraged herself: "I must make more money, so that I will be confident."
Martin added casually: "This is not a matter of money."
The breath that Lily had managed to muster was instantly released: "The way the Carter family expresses their love is so special."
She thought of her brother again: "Hall, this bastard, he dared to go to other places when I returned to Atlanta. I must encourage him to choose a university in Los Angeles so that he can come to Los Angeles."
Martin could imagine that if Hall really did this, his future life would be very happy.
In Atlanta, I was surrounded by Elena's sisterly care, and when I arrived in Los Angeles, I was enveloped by Lily's sisterly care.
Being a younger brother is such a blessing.
Martin saw an entertainment newspaper on the passenger side and took it while Lily stopped at a red light, opened it and read through it.
It contains news from the crew of "The Dark Knight".
After the crew determined the relevant response strategies and publicity and marketing policies, they officially released some news. After all, rumors were spreading.
What was published in the newspaper was that Bell was slightly injured and mentally depressed due to an accident while filming, and was temporarily hospitalized for observation.
The Dark Knight is scheduled to be released in the summer of next year, and the real efforts in publicity and marketing will not be until next spring anyway.
After Martin read the newspaper, he asked Lily: "Will there be a big reaction to Bell's injury?"
"It's just so-so, not a lot of attention." Lily works at the Dark Knight Studio and knows a lot about the situation. She asked curiously: "I heard that you and Bell had a fight on the set? Is it true?"
Now is not the time for publicity and hype, Martin downplayed: "It's just a small problem."
But Lily was very concerned: "Next time he comes to the studio, would you like me to poke him a few times with a carving knife to make sure it hurts terribly but is still a minor injury?"
Martin knew that Lily was really capable and warned: "Don't get involved in my affairs. This matter is not as simple as you think. Also, don't stab people with a carving knife."
"I understand." The traffic increased and Lily concentrated on driving.
Back at Coty Community, Lily pressed the remote control. After the door opened, the Cadillac drove directly in.
The house was very clean, and it didn't look like it had been unoccupied for months.
Martin saw that everything had been carefully tidied up inside and out, and even new beer was put in the refrigerator. He said to Lily, "I'm ready."
Lily was embarrassed, she had been living here a lot in the past few months, and said, "I have used a lot of your inventory."
"Oh, that's right." She pointed upstairs: "I made the side sleeper over there my room."
Martin nodded, didn't say anything more, simply packed his luggage, and slumped down on the sofa, suddenly feeling tired.
It's not that I'm physically tired, but that I'm mentally tired.
It is not easy to not only play the role of the Joker, but also to control the progress of the conflict with Batman.
Now that I think about it, Nolan is really great. It seems like he made one movie, but in fact he put almost all the thought and energy into making two movies.
The ability to write and create on the spot is not something that ordinary directors can achieve.
Some directors who can do it are too aloof and disdainful to roll up their sleeves themselves.
Bruce took a can of beer and threw it to Martin.
Lily also went to get the can, and looked at Martin carefully. When he saw that he didn't speak, she opened it, took a drink, and said, "How many days can you sleep in?"
Martin drank some beer and said: "After a few days of rest, we have to practice again. Old Bu, we can't relax. There are too many bastards in this circle. How can we protect ourselves without any skill or strength?"
Bruce strongly agreed: "Indeed, there are too many bastards in the circle!"
Martin took a notebook nearby, which recorded many contact information, such as the Angel Shooting Club and the psychological clinic he went to after the incident at Burbank High School.
He is now starting to lay the groundwork for next year's publicity plan.
Martin said: "Old Bu, contact the psychological clinic we went to last time and go there tomorrow."
Bruce understood Martin's plan and responded, "I'll call them."
Lily was surprised: "You will have psychological problems? It's impossible, right? Could it be that Fake..."
"Shut up!" Martin pointed at her: "Keep this matter secret, don't mention it to anyone."
Lily muttered a few words and responded: "I know."
Martin then said to Bruce: "By the way, I will notify Ivan and ask him to take photos and sell them to TMZ."
Bruce nodded.
After he finished the call, Martin asked: "How about Ivan adapting to Los Angeles?"
"He did very well. In the two cases of Pitt and Heath Ledger, he earned tens of thousands of dollars from selling news alone." Bruce was responsible for contacting Ivan: "He bought a new car, rented a new house, and lived a comfortable life."
Lily didn't interrupt anymore, just listened, knowing that what she heard must be rotten in her stomach.
Bruce's cell phone rang, and he quickly hung up after picking it up: "We have an appointment, tomorrow morning."
Martin called a nearby restaurant and ordered lunch to be delivered there.
The three of them had lunch, and in the middle of the afternoon, they moved chairs and sat by the pool in the front yard, chatting.
The doorbell rang.
Bruce went to open the door, and it was Martin's neighbor Mr. Jones and his daughter Jenna.
"This way, please." Martin asked Lily to bring two chairs over quickly.
Lily put down the chair, greeted Mr. Jones, and said a few words of thanks.
One of her letters of recommendation was provided by Mr. Jones.
Mr. Jones said cheerfully: "I heard your teacher talk about you, saying that you are extremely talented, work hard, and have a bright future."
Lily smiled: "Teachers always like to brag for their students."
Martin poured black tea for Mr. Jones and Jenna and said, "This is Darjeeling black tea, purchased directly from the place of origin. It tastes good."
Jones picked up the teacup and took a sip: "It's really good."
Jenna was not used to this way of drinking, so she asked, "Is there milk and sugar?"
"I'll get it." Lily went to get milk and sugar cubes.
Jenna added milk and sugar to the tea cup and said, "I haven't seen you in months."
"I have been filming a new movie in Atlanta." Martin simply said: "That's my hometown, and I didn't come back during the holidays."
Jenna obviously wanted to see Martin for something, and said: "I urged the company to pay the copyright share for the Sacred Valley version of "Wanted" last year. Have you received it over there?"
Martin didn't pay much attention. He glanced at Bruce and saw him nodding slightly and said, "Copy that."
Jenna said: "I came here today mainly to say thank you. Without your help in getting the authorization, it would be impossible for this DVD to have sales exceeding 10 million US dollars."
Martin knew that the scale of the Sacred Valley industry was comparable to that of Hollywood, so he was not surprised. He smiled and said, "A very good result."
"Jenna also won an award at AVN!" Mr. Jones interrupted, feeling proud of his daughter: "She won three awards including Best Actress and Best Narrative Director."
What could Martin say? All I can say is: "Congratulations!"
Jenna quickly said: "I wouldn't have gotten these awards without you."
Martin could roughly guess why Jenna came to his door on his first day back in Los Angeles.
Lily looked at Mr. Jones and then at Jenna, feeling that she had learned a lot.
Jenna then said again: "Martin, I watched "Never Ended", it's a very good movie."
She hesitated a little, but said it out: "Well... can we continue to cooperate like in "Wanted"? The copyright sharing is definitely not a problem."
This kind of licensing is common in Hollywood, and Martin doesn't object.
Jenna added: "I have developed a preliminary adaptation plan with the company's creative team. I will play the heroine who takes a super smart drug. The heroine transforms from a downbeat into an Upper East Side socialite who wants to maintain her image and status. More super smart drugs have to be obtained, so she has to find and keep taking smart drugs.”
Martin suddenly had a bad association.
Lily asked curiously: "Jenna, the super smart pill you are talking about is not the pill in the movie, right?"
"Of course not." Jenna said openly: "The heroine takes a man's genetic factors, but not every man's genetic factors can become a super smart drug suitable for her, so she needs to find and try. "
Lily understood immediately, it was indeed the Holy Valley.
Jenna smiled and said: "This kind of creativity is very suitable for me to use. In addition to being the heroine, I also plan to continue to be the director."
Martin's Davis Studio directly bought out the film and television rights to the original version, so there was no problem with licensing.
These are not taboos in the industry. Instead, they are a channel for many film and television production companies to increase their copyright income. Martin only thought about it for a moment and said: "I personally have no objection to licensing. Jenna, you can go directly to my Davis Studio and ask for Jessica Tinovic talks about licensing and copyright sharing."
Jenna said: "Martin, thank you so much."
"You're welcome." Martin glanced at Mr. Jones and said half-jokingly: "The copyright fees and shares that should be collected will not be less than a dollar."
Jenna thanks again. It is not easy to get relevant authorization for a popular movie like this.
The Jones father and his daughter had some afternoon tea and took the initiative to say goodbye.
Before walking out of the door, Mr. Jones said to Martin again: "When Jenna's new movie is released, let her send it to you as soon as possible, and then you can give me more opinions."
(End of chapter)
