America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 484 You're So Dramatic

The lights in the neighboring courtyard lit up, and Martin, with a gift in hand, left on time and walked into the home of his new neighbor, the Stuarts, to offer congratulations and a gift.

John and Judith thanked him, and as soon as Kristin saw Martin at the door, she hurried over, "Martin, come this way, our film circle friends are all in the small banquet hall."

Martin followed and asked, "Who came over?"

Kristin turned with a smile and replied, "Mainly some of my friends." She then asked, "Where's your girlfriend? Why didn't she come with you?"

"She went to Europe for an advertising promotion, she'll be back in a few days," Martin said briefly.

Lily, who was on spring break, went with her.

As soon as he entered the small banquet hall, a group of girls swarmed around him.

"Martin!"

"Kristin, you're amazing, you really got Martin to come!"

"Where's the camera? My camera! Bring it here, I want to take a picture with Martin."

Martin quickly glanced around; the oldest girls were around Kristin's age, and the youngest were at most thirteen or fourteen.

The chatter from the crowd around him was giving him a headache.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Kristin shouted a few times, and when the small banquet hall quieted down a bit, she introduced him to the girls: "This is Dakota Fanning, this is Ashley Greene, this is Sophia Stallone..."

Martin greeted each of them one by one.

Just eighteen, Kristin couldn't resist showing off, "Sisters, I brought Martin here, so you all owe me a favor!"

The oldest, Ashley Greene, called out, "Group photo, group photo, let's hurry and take a group photo!"

Kristin, one of the evening's hosts, politely asked Martin, "Would you take a photo with us and maybe sign them as well?"

Who could have the heart to refuse such a group of girls? Martin said with a smile, "No problem."

"Diana, come take the photo for us!" Kristin called out.

A large boy came running in and took the camera.

Seven or eight girls surrounded Martin, with Kristin securing a spot to his left, while Dakota Fanning and Sophia Stallone began to argue over the spot on his right.

Seeing the imminent onset of a teenage girl showdown and already suffering from the headache, Martin simply declared, "After this I'll take a separate photo with each of you."

"Great! Great!" someone clapped their hands in approval.

The small banquet hall almost turned into a fan meet-and-greet.

Dakota Johnson whispered, "Martin, could I take two shots? I have a sister, Elle, who also worships you."

Martin nodded, "I know Elle, we acted in a movie together last year."

Not to be outdone, Sophia Stallone moved closer and asked, "Could I get three? I have two sisters, Sistine and Scarlett, who are also your fans."

Of course, Martin was aware of the famous Stallone daughters and said, "Sure."

Finally, the girls calmed down and stood beside Martin to take the group photo.

Then, each girl took a separate photo with him.

Kristin was well-prepared as there were both a computer and a printer in the small banquet hall; the digital camera was connected to the computer, and the photos were quickly printed, with two copies of each photo being made.

One copy was for Martin to sign, and the other was for them to give to Martin as a keepsake.

The child star Dakota Fanning, quite savvy, took the opportunity when some other girls were handing their photos to Martin to write her personal phone number on the back of one with an eyebrow pencil.

When she turned her head, she saw Sophia doing something similar and couldn't help cursing inwardly, "True to the Stallone breed, such a minx at such a young age!"

Martin collected a stack of photos, ready to find an excuse to slip away when he heard a familiar voice at the entrance of the small banquet hall, "Martin."

Seeing the newcomer, Kristin took the lead in greeting, "David."

Martin turned his head and saw David Fincher, a bit surprised, "David, how come you're here?"

David Fincher explained, "I'm friends with Mr. Stuart, and I've worked with Kristin on 'Shudderspace'; she's a very intuitive actress."

Martin remembered the movie where Jodi Foster was the leading actress.

David Fincher took Martin's arm, leading him away, "Let's talk over here. With Kristin's group, they're all young, it's not the same conversation."

Eager to leave, Martin said, "Let's chat another day."

Dakota Fanning raised her left hand, extended her pinky and thumb, and waggled them at Martin.

Kristin gave her a glance, "Always with the drama, you."

Dakota Fanning declared, "Martin is the leading man among the post-80s actors!"

Sophia interjected, "His new film, the one touted as the cinematic version of the Santa Monica Pier incident, 'John Wick,' is about to be released. Shall we go see it together when it comes out?"

"It's rated R." Because of their neighborly relations, Kristin had taken an interest, "You can't go."

Sophia came up with a genius idea, "I'm tall enough, just need to pad my chest and put on some mature makeup, I'm sure I can blend into the theater crowd."

Dakota reached out to pinch her fried egg, "Let's see how much padding is needed!"

The group of girls burst into laughter.

...

Outside, Martin and David Fincher found a casual spot and sat down at a small round table for a chat.

David Fincher asked, "'Benjamin' has finished post-production, and I've gone through 'Gone Girl' carefully, it really suits my style. What about the second half of the novel?"

"I will have it delivered to you tomorrow, Gillian has finished the first draft of the novel and is doing some proofreading," Martin went straight to the point, "David, are you sure you want to direct this project?"

David Fincher nodded, "Let your studio talk contracts with my agent."

He then mentioned a key condition, "But you have to be the lead."

Martin replied, "David, I've always wanted to collaborate with you on a true Finch film."

In reality, "Benjamin" was not a true Finch-style film.

However, David Fincher broached another matter, "LIfe imitates art, and sometimes the things that happen in real life are more outrageous than the films we make."

Martin felt this deeply, "Movie plots have to be logical, but life never is."

David Fincher completely agreed, "Exactly!" He said earnestly, "Martin, the Santa Monica Pier incident is actually well suited for a film adaptation."

Martin asked, "You have an idea?"

"Take the Burbank Middle School incident, the Washington spy incident, and the Santa Monica Pier incident, and connect them with a suitable storyline," David Fincher wasn't aware of the connections but was wielding Hollywood's imagination and usual methods, "The villain could be Russian, just find any reason or excuse to smear them, and American audiences will accept it no matter how far-fetched."

There was no issue with the Burbank Middle School incident, but as someone who had personally experienced it, Martin knew the other two were fraught with controversy. After careful consideration, he said, "These incidents also involve the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI. If we're adapting this into a film, we'll need to gain their support."

David Fincher nodded, "You have a point. If there's a chance, ask them for their opinions."

Hollywood would adapt such stories with or without Martin's permission, just like "The Social Network" from his previous life.

He pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll ask for their opinions."

Now obsessed with the Oscars, David Fincher was eager to make a run for Best Director. He was even willing to change his style for it, but he knew the quality of the film was fundamental, and winning awards depended on other factors as well.

Martin winning Best Supporting Actor gave David Fincher some ideas.

Those three incidents were politically correct, and their social impact was immense. Two of them happened in Los Angeles, and the hero not only received the honor of being named a Distinguished Citizen of Los Angeles but also enjoyed a day dedicated to him each year. As long as the story was adapted into a suitable Oscar contender, the judges would look favorably upon it.

David Fincher had a feeling that Best Director and Best Picture were within reach!

Of course, this would have to follow "Gone Girl," after which the two would collaborate again, with Martin's strong support making the adaptation process much smoother.

After talking about films for a while, more guests arrived at the party.

The Stuarts, one a screenwriter and producer, the other a TV producer, had quite an extensive network.

Beyond that, they had invited many people from the community.

Martin spotted his other neighbor, Stuart Townsend.

"Long time no see," Martin greeted proactively.

Stuart smiled brightly and shook Martin's hand, "Indeed, it has been a long time, Martin." Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

Martin casually asked, "Haven't seen Charlize around?"

Stuart's smile remained, but he felt quite displeased inside, "Sally's out shooting a film and won't be back for a while."

"I see…" Martin roughly understood that Stuart wasn't too fond of him. He pointed ahead and said, "I see a friend of mine over there, I'm going to say hello."

Stuart said, "As you wish."

Watching Martin walk away, he placed his hand behind his back and rubbed it forcefully against his clothing, as if shaking Martin's hand had contaminated it.

Stuart thought for a moment, then found John Stuart, someone he had known for a long time. While discussing the community, he lowered his voice and said, "John, you have to be careful with our neighbor Martin. He's always causing trouble and has made enemies with the Russians. It could end up affecting us."

John replied politely, "I'll keep an eye on that."

Stuart continued, "You also have to be wary of other things. That man always likes to disrupt other people's families. Just think about the rumors about him with Jolie and Aniston."

To add credibility, he used himself as an example, "The last time, Charlize and I went to Martin's party, and he had the gall to hit on Charlize behind my back, his neighbor. Fortunately, Charlize saw right through him and firmly rejected his advances!"

John seemed somewhat convinced, "Thank you for the warning."

Martin stayed at the party until around nine before heading home, as he had to attend a publicity event for 'John Wick' the next day.