America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

After scheduling tea with Leonardo and Nicholson in the afternoon, Martin got into his car and headed home.

On the way, he received a call from Nicholson, asking him to buy a newspaper.

Bruce parked the car and bought the newspaper Martin had requested, which turned out to be a Spanish-language paper with a picture reporting a shooting in Tijuana.

Similar cases were common in Tijuana, with the case resolution rate infinitely close to zero.

Martin handed the newspaper to Bruce, remarking, "So the paper has already reported on it."

Bruce understood the implications, "This could also be a way for the hired guns to prove to their employers that the job is done."

Martin nodded, suddenly recalling what Old Cloth had mentioned earlier, and inquired, "Does this newspaper have a large circulation in Los Angeles?"

"It's decent," Bruce replied, having some knowledge on the subject, "Los Angeles has a large Mexican community. This is probably one of the biggest Spanish-language newspapers."

Martin pondered and then asked, "Old Cloth, if you were Megan Ellison, what would you make of this news?"

Bruce answered, "I'd quickly hire a few bodyguards for 24/7 protection, to avoid any trouble from you."

"You're still accustomed to causing chaos with fights and killings," Martin quipped as he took out his phone and called Leonardo and Nicholson to hurry over.

Half an hour later, the three met at Nicholson's house.

Nicholson's butler had already prepared tea and pastries, and the three of them sat in the garden, basking in the warm winter sun, discussing recent events.

Leonardo also owned a film company called Pave Road Entertainment.

Martin asked him, "From the perspective of a movie company boss, if you were Megan Ellison, what would you think of these news reports?"

After some consideration, Leonardo said, "If Megan Ellison had any connection with those Mexicans, she would definitely suspect we had a hand in it. As an investor, she would pay even more attention to the two scripts you abandoned."

Nicholson chimed in, "Anna Purna Pictures announced this morning that they have increased their investment in 'The Seventh Son' and 'Transcendence,' which seems to confirm this speculation."

Leonardo, curious, turned to Martin, "What's the deal with these two projects? Do you truly believe in them so much that you locked them in a safe?"

"Quite the opposite, I'm not very optimistic about them," Martin said, finding some details hard to convey, "The scripts are indeed well-written and of high caliber, but after a thorough analysis, there's always this feeling that they might not be the type that would appeal to a wide audience."

Leonardo seized on Martin's vulnerability, "You keep the scripts in a safe even though you're not optimistic about them? Is your head filled with seawater or what?"

Nicholson, ever the tease, said, "The bastard even Satan wouldn't claim, how could his head be normal?"

As another company owner, Leonardo couldn't resist asking, "Why do you think these projects will fail?"

"Ever since 'The Lord of the Rings' succeeded, Hollywood has seen a surge in fantasy epics. But how many of them have been successes?" Martin sipped from his tea cup, then continued, "Perhaps the influence and momentum of Hollywood for decades have continued, and epic movies have been produced every year..."

With careful recollection, Leonardo declared, "I'll definitely steer clear of epic projects in the future!"

Martin went on, "As for 'Transcendence', Anna Purna Pictures has invested heavily in hiring Depp. Personally, I believe that as successful as Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow was, the more challenging it will be for him to succeed in other projects and roles."

He added, "These projects might be successful as well. Before a movie is widely released, who can be one hundred percent sure of its success or failure?"

Leonardo said, "Even though you're a scoundrel who enjoys sleeping with other men's wives, during the more than five years I've known you, you've proven your insight and judgment time and time again."

Martin ignored the latter part of the statement and flipped Leonardo the bird, "Spare me the slander, you amateur who runs a hundred meters in twenty seconds!"

Leonardo, tired of arguing with the jerk, opened his phone and messaged a middleman, "For the Asian actresses' gathering I'm organizing after the Oscars, invite a few more married or engaged women who are beautiful and sexy."
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The reply came quickly, "You certainly have peculiar tastes!"

Leonardo retaliated, "Don't you slander me."

"Megan Ellison must be really happy right now, shearing your wool with great delight," said Nicholson, unable to resist stirring the pot, then added, following the earlier train of thought, "People have habitual thinking; Megan just got one over on you and enjoyed it thoroughly. If you have another promising project, do you think she will make a move?"

Leonardo put away his phone, "Setting a trap? I like it!"

Martin said, "The bait can't be thrown too obviously, or it won't attract the fish."

Nicholson inquired, "Do you have an appropriate project on hand?"

"Not at the moment," Martin admitted, having thought of this only after seeing the newspaper report.

Now excited, Nicholson said, "You handle finding the project, I'll handle the baiting."

Leonardo interjected, "What about me?"

"You just stay put and chase awards," Martin reminded, "If you lose Best Actor, Jack and I will send you to Sacred Valley to do a film with Pitt!"

With that, the trio's gathering came to an end.

Back at home, Martin was still contemplating the baiting strategy. Successful movies were hard to come by, but what about those that were destined to be a disaster?

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Finding an investment with high cost but low yield that still sparked the interest of investors was actually not easy to come by.

The first person Martin thought of was Ridley Scott. Old Ray's epic films basically met this criterion.

But it was better if they were not of the original type.

Ridley Scott had also given Martin a hint that entirely new works didn't have to lead the way. After entering the year 2010, aside from Ray's works, whose projects had more pitfalls?

Martin thought of two candidates, Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp.

The former was manageable, but the latter was a complete disaster!

There was already Depp's "Transcendental Hacker," so he didn't need to bother the man again. Martin tried hard to recall other Depp films he had seen.

Movies like "Amour 2" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" were out of the question, others...

Actually, Martin did remember one. It was adapted from a famous TV series, where Depp, that quirky fellow, played a strange man with a face full of makeup—seemed to be called "Lone Ranger".

He picked up his phone and dialed Thomas's number, asking, "Do you know a TV series called 'Lone Ranger'? Check who owns the rights."

"I know, no need to check, it's a classic old series," Thomas, who had seen related films and series, was knowledgeable: "The 'Lone Ranger' originated as a radio drama on ABC with about 3000 episodes. Then, after ABC got into television, they turned it into a TV series. The lead was veteran actor Clayton Moore. I remember ABC even made two 'Lone Ranger' movies in the fifties."

He recalled carefully, "The rights should always have been with ABC. After ABC was acquired by Disney, all their related film and television rights were unified under the Disney Studios library. The current head is your old friend, Ellen Horn."

Martin couldn't help but remark, "What a coincidence."

Thomas asked, "Do you need me to get in touch with Disney Studios?"

"No need," Martin felt there was no time to delay, "I'll call Ellen Horn myself."

Thomas, recalling the recently lost "The Seventh Son" and "Transcendental Hacker," specifically reminded, "Be sure to keep it confidential."

After hanging up, Martin directly called Ellen Horn, who also lived in Beverly Hills.

The two agreed on a meeting time, and Martin arrived punctually at Ellen Horn's home.

Ellen Horn said, "Please wait a moment, I had Cody go to Disney to get the materials related to 'Lone Ranger'."

Martin replied, "No rush."

Ellen went on to say, "Before, someone mentioned this classic series to me, that's right, it was Jerry Bruckheimer. He wanted to adapt it into a blockbuster with an investment of over 150 million US dollars, but due to a serious divergence of interests in the earnings distribution of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series, I had shelved his proposal temporarily."

He looked at Martin, "If you are interested in adapting, Disney Studios can collaborate with you."

Martin tentatively suggested, "I have an idea that might allow Disney to invest no funds but still receive substantial revenue from just a ten-year adaptation licensing. Spending 150 million US dollars on adapting a western like this is too risky."

Anyone else saying this would be ignored by Ellen Horn, but since Martin said it, he could not but take it seriously.

He thought about the most painful tumble of his life, "Terminator 2018."

The two of them discussed this topic and after a while, Cody Horn came back with the materials for "Lone Ranger."

The materials were comprehensive, as Jerry Bruckheimer once wanted to adapt it, he had them specially sorted, there was even a preliminary plan.

This saved Martin quite a bit of trouble.

More than half an hour later, Martin left with the materials, calling Nicholson and Leonardo to meet at the former's home.

"Jerry Bruckheimer's vision is always sharp," Nicholson flipped through the materials Martin brought over, "Do you foresee any problems with this project?"

Martin explained, "An outdated western, but endorsed by gold-medal producer Jerry Bruckheimer."

Leonardo added, "And backed by Martin Davis, known for his keen eye for scripts and projects."

Martin continued, "My view remains the same as before, the key is with Johnny Depp. Depp is currently collaborating with Megan Ellison on 'Transcendental Hacker,' while we approach Disney, we should also get in touch with Depp..."

Nicholson got the point and followed Martin's thought, "Megan Ellison snatched two projects from you. You took Jessica Chastain right in front of her, but that's too trivial. It doesn't match the style of our trio, who are masters at playing big. So, we'll use this project to snatch Depp!"

With his in-depth knowledge of Hollywood, he said, "Hollywood crews have an exit mechanism. 'Transcendental Hacker' is still in pre-production. According to Hollywood rules, before the actual shooting begins, paying a certain penalty allows Depp to exit the crew."

Martin said, "We make a gesture of offering to pay Depp's penalty for him."

"I've dealt with Depp before and know him and the people around him," Nicholson had seen too much in the circle, "Depp is a decent guy, but also a drunk and a big mouth. Those around him are even less reliable, making it too hard for them to keep a secret."

Leonardo said, "Jack's right, Depp's entourage is a mess."

Martin's memory agreed.

Nicholson declared, "Let the digging begin!"

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