America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the press room of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in front of the live cameras set up by TMZ, James stepped up to the podium on behalf of TMZ.

He held Martin's "Joker Diary" in both hands.

Opposite him were Thomas, representing Martin, and Nolan, representing The Dark Knight Crew.

Beneath the podium, many other media reporters were taking photographs.

TMZ, which had made efforts to capture and record news about others, had today become one of the protagonists of the news.

As "Diary Gate" reached a certain level of fervor, TMZ decided to return Martin's Joker Diary for no charge.

The Dark Knight Crew was particularly easy to communicate with; they were not averse to live broadcasting and press conferences, and TMZ understood that the crew equally needed the publicity.

Both sides quickly agreed, and so there was this unique diary return ceremony for Martin's Joker diary.

James, holding the original diary, handed it over to Thomas and Nolan, and the three of them held Martin's original diary, facing many media cameras for a commemorative photo together.

The live cameras from TMZ specifically focused on close-up shots.

Next, during the routine interviews by media reporters, the three made some perfunctory remarks.

The live broadcast by TMZ and the media reports further amplified the heat of "Diary Gate."

Since returning from San Diego and seeing a psychologist, Martin did not appear in any promotional events, yet he was omnipresent in the most heated media coverage and public discourse.

Even the delay in his public appearances sparked more curiosity from the media and public, wondering what exactly was going on with Martin?

Both Martin and Nolan exerted all their efforts to attract the attention of more passers-by.

After the TMZ ceremony ended, Nolan and Thomas left the Hilton Hotel together, heading straight to the Cody Community in Sherman Oaks to personally return the diary to Martin.

Inevitably, a large group of media reporters followed and surrounded the vicinity of Martin's home.

Nolan's car followed Thomas's right through the gate, the iron gate separating them from the reporters.

Upon entering the living room, Martin came forward to shake hands with them and said, "I was just watching the live broadcast, and you've arrived so quickly."

"How are you feeling now?" After a long period of media hyping, even Nolan, one of the planners, subconsciously felt that Martin had psychological and mental issues.

Martin smiled and said, "Pretty good, Dr. Laura's treatment is very effective."

Her couch is very comfortable to sleep on.

Nolan took the diary out of his briefcase and handed it to Martin, deliberately saying, "Keep it safe, don't lose it again."

Martin, in on the plan, passed it to Bruce: "I'll lock it up in the underground vault."

Regarding the diary, the publicity had basically reached its zenith, and it would no longer be of any use in the future.

Nolan said with a smile, "The method you came up with worked very well; everyone on the internet is talking about the Joker, Batman, and Diary Gate. It has a big impact."

Martin, good at socializing, said, "It's something we came up with together."

Nolan smiled even more happily and said, "I'm becoming more and more confident that the film will be a huge success."

He paused briefly and then continued, "Batman has never lacked fans in North America, but there are as many Batmen in people's hearts as there are people. No matter how the film is adapted, there will always be a large group of people who are not satisfied, so relying solely on comic fans is hardly enough to support a blockbuster. What we've done is just to attract enough passers-by."

Martin said, "I've been watching the online public sentiment, and the effect is very good."

Because of this, Nolan valued Martin even more and even took the initiative to consult with him about certain promotional matters.

Nolan then said, "For The Dark Knight's premiere, I plan to change the red carpet to a black one, to match the overall style of the film."

Martin wasn't surprised and said, "That's a good idea; it will create new topics at the time, promoting post-screening publicity."

Nolan asked, "Do you have any other good ideas on your side?" Explore stories at empire

Martin muttered to himself that if Bale committed suicide at this time, the effect would certainly be the best, but such thoughts couldn't possibly be expressed.

On the other hand, if such an event were to actually happen, the biggest beneficiary would be the crew, not Martin. The significant momentum he had created for himself and the Joker would also be diminished, which would not be conducive to the operations during the upcoming awards season.

Martin said, "Nothing at the moment, I'll call you as soon as I think of something new."

Nolan timely suggested they part ways, and Martin saw him out of the villa.

Upon his return, it was then that Thomas spoke, "Right after the news conference ended, someone from Warner Bros. approached me to discuss something?"

Martin looked at him, "Does it have to do with me?"

Thomas nodded, pointing to the diary Bruce had set aside: "Warner Bros. is interested in editing and publishing this diary as a peripheral product of the film, they believe the market prospects are good."

As long as it makes money, a film company would dare to sell a protagonist's underwear.

The content of the diary had already been made public on TMZ, and publishing it was merely to facilitate collection by those die-hard fans following the film's big hit.

Martin said, "That's fine, you can negotiate the basic licensing fee, but I want Warner Bros. to agree on no less than a third of the manufacturing cost as my share."

Thomas took a note, planning to discuss it slowly with the crew and Warner Bros. later.

Outside, the clamor of a commotion reached them, and Bruce stepped outside to take a look. "Nolan's car is blocked by reporters," he said.

Martin asked, "Didn't he just drive away?"

"No," Bruce tried to hold back a laugh. "Nolan didn't just leave. He had his driver stop the car to take interviews and ran into Mr. Jones from next door."

Martin hurried upstairs to the highest terrace on the rooftop, taking a pair of binoculars with him to sneak a peek at the situation outside.

Nolan encountering Jones, artist meeting artist, was bound to be extraordinary.

Who knows, it might be like Mars colliding with Earth.

Outside the door, encircled by reporters, Jones approached Nolan.

And it turns out, these two knew each other before.

Nolan appeared a bit surprised. "So, you live in the Cody Community as well," he said.

Jones pointed to a house next to Martin's. "I'm Martin's neighbor and friend," he explained.

Nearby, a reporter asked a colleague, "Who is that guy? I don't recognize him."

Someone knew the answer, "That's the deputy director of the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, one of the artists who initiated its establishment."

Having finally met Nolan, Jones inevitably had a lot to say. "I've seen the two trailers for The Dark Knight, truly a masterpiece, especially the Joker, too brilliant."

Nolan, who only knew of Jones and wasn't familiar with his circumstances, responded with a laugh, "Thank you for your support."

"I have a proposition, regarding The Dark Knight and the Joker," Jones, a good father always thinking of his daughter, said, "My daughter Jenna is a co-founder, director, and actress at a company in Sacred Valley, having won the AVN awards for Best Director and Best Actress."

Reporters, initially uninterested in this chance encounter, now sensed a scoop was in the making and all took out their cameras, camcorders, and voice recorders.

Jones spoke loudly, "Director Nolan, could you and Warner Bros., along with DC Comics, consider granting Jenna's company the rights to produce a Sacred Valley version of The Dark Knight? With Jenna's talent, she could surely create an AVN award-winning masterpiece that becomes a classic for generations."

These words were so unexpected that Nolan was taken aback.

Even the seasoned reporters were a bit stunned; how did things turn out to be so bizarre?

Nolan's first instinct was to decline, then to get in the car and leave. But seeing the eagerness of the reporters around him, he immediately changed his mind.

He had come to see Martin partly to create news about the diary and partly seeking new hot topics.

And there was a topic right in front of him, wasn't it?

Nolan spoke on the spot, "I'm just the director; such matters aren't up to me to decide. But I will pass along your proposition to the crew and Warner Bros."

Jones stepped forward and shook Nolan's hand vigorously. "Thank you," he said.

Nolan let go of his hand and quickly got into the car.

While he wanted to create a media buzz, he wasn't quite as unabashed as Martin.

Watching Nolan's car pull away, Mr. Jones waved energetically, calling out loud to remind him, "Director Nolan, please pass along the message, my daughter can definitely create a Sacred Valley masterpiece with this theme!"

Finally, the car broke through the crowd of reporters and vanished at the end of Cody Road.

It wasn't long before the latest news burst online.

"The Dark Knight' ignites hype before release, Sacred Valley company proactively approaches Director Nolan, negotiating to adapt and shoot Sacred Valley version."

"Shocking, Sacred Valley has its sights on 'The Dark Knight', Batman and the Joker could be locked in a love-hate relationship!"

Late-breaking reports seemed somewhat more credible.

"Famed Sacred Valley actress, director, and producer Jenna interested in adapting 'The Dark Knight', receives positive response from Director Nolan..."

This June, news about The Dark Knight and Martin swamped both the internet and traditional media, its popularity even surpassing that of the currently hot 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Indiana Jones 4', becoming the number one entertainment hot topic.

Its impact had already extended beyond its circle, becoming a major societal topic in North America.

Compared to Martin, Christian Bale's side was much quieter; the British actor's commercial appeal wasn't particularly strong. All he had to do was to follow the crew's plans and participate in the usual promotional appearances.

For this film, Bale's role in promotions was simply to make sure the Batman fan base was secure.

Subsequently, 'The Dark Knight' held viewings for theater managers, media, and critics, receiving unanimous praise.

Many critics in Los Angeles hailed it as this year's finest Hollywood movie.

The big cinema chains in North America provided extremely positive feedback, promising to allocate many screens for the release of 'The Dark Knight'.

Especially the IMAX theater chain, which announced that all of its theaters in North America would only be showing this one film for the first two weeks following its release.

After all, Nolan shot a considerable amount of footage with IMAX cameras, amounting to more than 40 minutes in the film.

This was unprecedented in today's Hollywood.