America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 880 - 843: The Path to Becoming a Demon Under Social Unrest_2

At the long conference table, Martin, Nolan, and the head of Warner Bros. Pictures, Daniel, sat on one side.

Opposite them were DC representatives like Scott, Philips, and Bruce Berman.

Hamada presided over the meeting.

Since "Joker" was not part of the DC Extended Universe, both Warner Bros. and DC didn't pay much attention to the project.

At the same time, "Man of Steel" was about to be released, and "Batman v Superman" had already entered the formal preparation stage, while "Joker" was still in the earliest phase of the project.

The projector turned on, and the creative text appeared on the screen. Screenwriter Scott pointed to the screen with a laser pen and said, "Regarding the plot, we plan to focus on Joker's family, his parents' genetics, and the abuse he suffered that led to Joker's tragedy..."

"Wait a minute," Martin interrupted Scott directly.

Previously, he had communicated with DC Films several times and expressed his ideas, but DC Films clearly did not take them seriously and still came up with a main storyline completely different from what he had in mind.

Scott glanced at Martin and then turned to look at Hamada; his plot idea had the approval of both DC and Warner senior management.

The project agreement had been signed long ago, and Warner Bros. had obtained DC's authorization. Daniel directly asked, "Martin, do you have any objections?"

Martin exchanged a glance with Nolan first; the two had already agreed privately.

He then said, "Joker wasn't born as the Joker, of course, part of his issues come from genetic makeup."

Scott slightly relaxed.

But Martin continued, "However, Joker ultimately becoming a madman, an agent of chaos, environmental factors are equally crucial!"

He looked around the meeting room, raising his voice slightly, "This film will continue 'The Dark Knight's' style, discard the comic style, and maintain a realist approach, so we need to place the Joker character within a completely realistic socio-economic backdrop."

Nolan expressed his support in a timely manner, "I agree with Martin's opinion."

Scott frowned slightly.

Hamada said, "I still think this is ultimately a comic book character..."

As a member of the Warner Bros. Team, Hamada rambled on and on.

Martin didn't even listen; the Warner Bros. Team's near crazed influence on DC movies was far too brilliant, and the "Joker" project couldn't withstand it.

In his view, ignoring the Warner Bros. Team's opinions would naturally increase the film's chances of success.

It was also the simplest way to ensure the film's success.

Martin waited for Hamada to finish, didn't pick up where he left off, and directly said, "Since the 2008 financial crisis, economic growth has slowed, and the hardship of life in the middle and lower classes of society has increased. Many people not only face economic pressure but also brutal psychological stress, leading countless to madness and even more down the path of crime."

He posed the question, "Wouldn't Joker's downfall be more convincing against such a backdrop?"

This also aligned with Nolan's thoughts, as he said, "This will make the character believable and persuasive, potentially evoking widespread emotional resonance."

Hamada still had a completely different view.

But before he could speak again, Daniel said, "That point is very important for the movie's market prospects; we all know that over ninety percent of the people actually paying for a movie come from the middle and lower social strata."

Scott was upset; no screenwriter would be happy to see his carefully crafted ideas completely rejected.

But his opinions weren't important, and his stature couldn't compete with Martin and Nolan.

He could only seek support from Hamada.

Daniel further suggested, "I propose we hire a new team of writers to create a different script."

Hamada objected, "DC does not have the budget for that."

Daniel said, "Warner Bros. Pictures does."

Martin added, "Davis Studio does as well."

Hamada's brow remained furrowed; this film project, not conforming to the DC Extended Universe, was difficult for him to appreciate.

The most important point being, if it couldn't align with the cinematic universe's style...

Daniel continued, "Let's leave this project entirely to Warner Bros. Pictures, Hamada; you should focus all your energy on the DC Extended Universe."

This statement hit Hamada hard, plunging him into thought.

The project had already been authorized, and the contract had been signed; it couldn't be retracted. His cooperation with Martin and Nolan always felt awkward, as if their ideas were worlds apart.

Hamada was exhausted, "I'll leave this project to you, but DC won't invest any more money into it."

With this, if the project failed, DC would not suffer any losses; if it succeeded, the royalties alone could make DC a fortune.

Scott panicked, "President Hamada..."

Hamada raised a hand to interrupt him, "I will initiate the withdrawal procedure, and you and your screenwriting team will exit the 'Joker' project."

Screenwriters had no power, and Scott closed his mouth.

With that, the meeting came to an end. As for the screenplay ideas that Scott had come up with, Martin abandoned them all and left with Daniel and Nolan.

The latter had to return to the studio to busy himself with the post-production of "Interstellar," taking a stance of full support for Martin.

Daniel and Martin headed to Warner Bros. to continue the discussion on screenplay creation.

Originally, Martin had a series of creative suggestions, thinking of writing the screenplay after DC's adoption.

But it turned out that he had underestimated the way the Warner Bros. Team thought.

The two sides were not on the same wavelength at all.

Upon reaching Daniel's office, Martin said, "It's good news that DC is not involved."

Daniel had his assistant bring in some tea and said, "The project's prep time has to be pushed back again."

Martin had already been considering this on the way over, "Let's take a year to finish the screenplay, then prepare for the film."

Thinking of Martin's track record, Daniel asked, "Do you have the right screenwriter?"

Martin nodded, "My old friend and partner, Bradt."

Compared to the external screenwriters, Bradt had worked with Martin for many years and could fully comprehend Martin's intentions when creating a screenplay.

To Martin, Bradt was a gold-medal screenwriter.

Daniel said, "Okay, Bradt is an outstanding screenwriter. The many works you two have collaborated on have been hugely successful."

Martin said, "Let's finish the script first, then we can discuss other prep work after that."

Daniel agreed, "Let's leave it at that for now."

When Martin left Warner Bros., he called Bradt, and by the time he got back to Davis Studio, Bradt was already waiting there.

The two of them had worked together on many projects and got straight to discussing the "Joker" screenplay.

Over the next two days, Martin put off all other work to focus solely on discussing the script with Bradt.

Bradt also quickly presented a simple outline.

Compared to the inconsistent Warner Bros. Team, the creative ideas of a long-time partner satisfied Martin much more.

Bradt assured Martin that it would take no more than six months at most to complete the first draft of the "Joker" script.

This would not be an action movie. It would entirely abandon the exaggerated designs from the comics, telling the story of how one person steps onto their road to damnation amidst "social turmoil."

Entering mid-October, Martin briefly set aside other business and joined the cast of "La La Land," meeting up with Director Damien Chazelle and the lead actress Silsa Ronan for the pre-release promotion of "La La Land."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

The film began its pre-release publicity burst, with various talk show appearances and road shows being intensively launched; posters, trailers, and advertisements spread throughout the streets and alleys of North America.

Disney Studios also held test screenings for "La La Land," which were unanimously well-received; theater managers believed it to be one of the best Hollywood musicals in nearly a decade.

Although musicals had declined, every two to three years, there would be a musical that achieved huge success both critically and at the box office, such as "Chicago," "Mamma Mia!" and "Pitch Perfect."

This indicates that the musical genre still has a certain market space.

Martin started living the cyclic lifestyle of airport, hotel, and talk shows.

With the film's heat sufficient and the test screening reviews positive, North American theaters scheduled "La La Land" for release in 3,955 theaters.