Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

"Whoa, I want to play the female lead—that evil bad woman."

After reading the script, Scarlett excitedly wrapped herself around Martin.

Um, literally "wrapped" around him.

Her arms hugged Martin's neck, her legs clamped around his waist, threatening that if she didn't get to play the female lead, she wouldn't come down.

Martin shook a bit, and Scarlett shook with him, but she still clung on like a furry monkey.

"I won't come down unless you let me play this 'Rose'."

"It's a villain role."

"I don't care."

"There are intimate scenes."

"We can use a body double."

"Alright, alright—you acting purist, I agree. Come down."

"For real? No take-backs?"

"For real—absolutely no take-backs!"

"Oh yeah!!!"

Scarlett excitedly jumped down from Martin's body, grabbed the script, and dashed back to her room, ready to dive deep into the character that very night.

In this life, free from the money and life worries of her original timeline, Scarlett's acting career hadn't veered as commercial.

"What script got Scarlett so hyped?"

Nicole, who'd been focused on staying home with the kids lately, felt a bit disconnected from society—not sure what Scarlett and Martin had been fussing about.

"I just wrote a script—horror, with some suspense."

"Oh yeah? Reminds me of when we worked on [?]."

Nicole smiled, her fair face flushing pink—who knows what she was thinking.

Martin grinned mischievously, leaning in, his naughty hand slipping under Nicole's clothes.

"Fooling around—Connor's right here."

"Pfft, he's just a little kid—what does he know?"

Martin turned his head and saw his son's big blue eyes staring right at his hand.

Feeling a bit awkward, Martin pulled his hand out, glared at his son, then bossily told Nicole: "Tonight, you sleep with me—leave Connor with Bijou."

Then he huffed at his kid again.

Nicole burst out laughing, smacking Martin's back. "How are you acting like a child, competing with your own son?"

......

After Martin's new project Get Out got the green light.

Besides the already locked-in male and female leads, the other supporting roles were hotly contested.

Especially the Black maid role—short screen time but brilliant—stirring up quite a buzz among Black actresses.

Halle Berry, Zoe Saldana, Taraji P. Henson, and other Black female stars all had their managers express interest in auditioning.

Will Smith's big-mouthed wife also had her husband put in a good word with Martin on her behalf.

But if she heard how her husband actually talked to Martin, she'd probably blow a gasket.

"Martin, you don't have to factor me in—go with what's best for the character. If Jada fits, then please pick her for my sake; if not, don't worry about what I think—do what you want. Honestly, I saw your new script too, and I don't think Jada's acting is up to that level..."

Will Smith was straightforward—his wife's acting was just okay, and that eerie smile the Black maid flashes now and then? He didn't think his wife could pull it off.

Will Smith's words were nicely phrased, not putting Martin or himself in a tough spot—just couldn't let Jada know, or that woman would throw another fit.

"Martin, what I just said—absolutely don't tell Jada. She'd give me a headache if she nags."

Martin chuckled—Will had his hands full with that wife, and his "devoted good man" persona made divorce tricky.

So, personas are a boost early in a star's career, but once you're famous and under the microscope, they become chains!

That's why Martin never bothered crafting one—just lived as wild as he wanted.

Warner headquarters.

A meeting was underway.

The attendees were discussing a topic critical to DC's survival.

Yes, DC Films was in "crisis" again.

Since Martin and Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy exploded, DC and Warner had cranked out The Flash, Watchmen, Superman Returns, Green Lantern, and Man of Steel.

But the box office was all underwhelming—totally outshone by Marvel next door.

"I think our gap with Marvel is 'Martin'. Marvel's had flops too, but Martin's always stepped in to save their superheroes. Iron Man 1 and The Avengers were Marvel's key turning points..."

"I feel like our initial choice was wrong—Zack Snyder isn't Martin. He might be a solid director, but he lacks Martin's magical knack for making films irresistible..."

"I think our future plans must involve Martin—he's the guarantee of success..."

One Warner exec said bluntly.

"But if Martin gets involved, he'll demand investment—he's too greedy." Another exec countered.

"What's wrong with Martin investing? What he takes is still less than what he earns us, and success could pull our heroes out of the slump—benefits no amount of money can buy." Another exec argued.

Zack Snyder supporters chimed in: "Zack's Superman didn't meet expectations but didn't lose us money—why not give him another shot? You've all seen Zack's plan for 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'—solid, exciting, enough to shatter the slump."

"Choosing Zack is a gamble; choosing Martin is a surefire win."

"Haha, no one's a sure thing—I see Martin's going low-budget horror this time; might be a flop."

"Alright, stop arguing."

5.7

Alan Horn spoke up, and the room fell silent.

Alan Horn, who should've jumped ship to Disney last year, was still firmly in the Warner CEO seat.

After hearing the execs out, he pondered and said: "How about this—we send someone to sound out Martin first, see if he'd make a superhero film for us. If he's willing, then we talk investment."

"And for Zack, let him keep going with his 'Batman v Superman' plan—we'll pursue both paths. No matter what Martin decides, we tie Zack to our chariot—he's a good director. Martin's great, but he can't be all ours."