America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the office, Thomas glanced at his scheduler and said to Martin, "Svetlana has been taking accent lessons, and Natasha referred her to our client director James Mangold's crew, but there has been no response yet."

Martin was familiar with this director, whom Jolie had introduced, the director of "The Soul-Switching Lady," with which she had won the Best Supporting Actress award.

Thomas went on, "Marina passed an audition for a production called 'Game of Dogs,' securing a supporting role with some lines. She's currently preparing for the shoot."

Martin asked, "Any other special situations?"

The matter of Marina possibly being a swallow was known only to the Trio of Scoundrels; Thomas was oblivious to it. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Martin nodded and said, "Have Natasha keep a close eye on her."

"Alright." Driven by curiosity, Thomas couldn't help but ask, "Is this Russian woman that special?"

Martin answered vaguely, "Quite special."

Upon reflection, Thomas recalled that the woman seemed ordinarily beautiful but possessed a very distinctive aura.

Great detective Nicholson had returned to Los Angeles and had been keeping an eye on Marina; Martin prepared to seek out Nicholson.

But at that moment, Thomas said, "We've received several new casting calls. Since you're here, you might as well take a look, and I won't have to fax them to you separately."

Not in a hurry to find Nicholson, Martin replied, "That's fine."

Thomas flipped through the project information he had prepared earlier, placing the projects and roles he was most optimistic about on top.

On top of the pile was a 150 million US Dollar project called "Gravity," directed by Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron. Sandra Bullock, the Oscar-winning actress from the previous year, had been locked in as the female lead, and they were looking for a male lead.

There was no script or story summary.

Martin set it aside, as he had seen the film already; it was practically a solo performance by Sandra Bullock. The male lead might as well have been called a supporting actor, with few appearances.

Unless the lead role was changed from female to male.

But such a change of the lead's gender would greatly diminish the film's emotional resonance.@@novelbin@@

Men are inherently endowed with qualities like resilience and strength, making the sight of a woman fighting for survival in space far more jarring.

Thomas glanced at the project, which he was quite optimistic about, yet Martin had dismissed it without a second thought.

But Thomas didn't say more, instead, he put away the project brief, waiting for the company's next round of selections.

Hollywood production companies sent projects to WMA, and Martin had the first pick; only after he made his choices could others get their turn.

Martin had already turned his attention to the second project, another big-budget project, this time from Sony Columbia Pictures, also boasting a 150 million US Dollar budget and with Roland Emmerich confirmed as the director.

Martin knew this director well; his films were catastrophically epic.

His trademark works included "Independence Day," "Godzilla," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012."

Upon examining the project's details, Martin found it to be a story about an American hero single-handedly saving the White House and the President.

Having seen all of Emmerich's films, Martin also set this project aside.

If it were about a hero leading a group of women to storm the White House, he might have considered it.

Thomas was momentarily lost in thought, sinking into a deep self-doubt: "Is my judgment really that poor, picking all the wrong projects?"

Martin saw the third project brief, also seeking a male lead called "Argo." It was from his old friend Graham King's GK Films.

Ever since the casting for "Infernal Affairs," Martin had known Graham. Later, it was Graham who introduced "Prince of Thieves" author Chuck Hogan to him.

The project's details weren't too elaborate, but it was noted to be adapted from a part of CIA senior employee Tony Mendez's autobiography "Master of Disguise," related to a then-recently declassified CIA secret rescue operation.

Martin asked Thomas, "Is there a copy of the original book?"

Thomas snapped back to reality and quickly said, "There's a copy of 'Wired Magazine' underneath, which has a feature about Tony Mendez."

Martin saw the magazine and flipped it open to the page featuring the story.

He had a hunch and began reading attentively.

It was a report on a CIA operation to rescue American diplomats. During the 1979 Iran revolution, some radicals stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. However, in the chaos, six people escaped and hid in the home of the Canadian ambassador.

The CIA was tasked with rescuing these six individuals. Extraction expert Tony Mendez devised a plan, contacting a few Hollywood friends to create a film project called "Argo," intended as a cover story to scout film locations in Tehran. Mendez disguised the six as crew members, successfully bringing them back to America.

It was an astonishing operation, where Hollywood's significant clout played a pivotal role.

Martin had seen the film and vaguely remembered it as "Escape from Tehran," possibly an Oscar winner for Best Picture in some year.

In places other than North America, he couldn't say, but on the North American market, it enjoyed both robust box-office returns and rave reviews.

Moreover, for what it's worth in North America, the film was extremely politically correct and met his current needs.

Martin remembered that the original male lead was Ben.

What a coincidence.

Martin took it out separately.

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief, telling himself that he still had some discernment, although the first two projects he picked out were rejected by Martin, the third one had been affirmed.

After looking over the other project proposals, apart from "Escape from Tehran," Martin returned all of them to Thomas and asked, "Has a director been confirmed for this project?"

Thomas shook his head, "No."

Martin inquired further, "Did Graham say anything else?"

"No," Thomas recalled before adding, "It seems that several other major agencies have received invitations as well."

Martin took out his phone and dialed Graham directly.

The call connected almost immediately, "Martin? How come a busy person like you has time to call me?"

"The 'Prince of Thieves' script you recommended is adapted," Martin didn't start with "Escape from Tehran" but mentioned the previous friendly collaboration first, "Are you available next year? I plan to invite you to be a producer for 'Prince of Thieves'."

Graham responded, "If you're inviting, I will make myself available even if I don't have a suitable schedule."

Martin said, "With you managing this project, I can rest easy."

There was no doubt about the abilities of this producer; Martin Scorsese's longstanding partner had taken on the role of producer for films like "Drug Connection," "Ali," "The Aviator," "Infernal Affairs," and "Blood Diamond."

"I saw one of your GK Films projects at the agency," Martin got to the point, "Based on the adaptation of CIA senior employee Tony Mendez's rescue case, 'Argo,' are you searching for the leading man?"

Graham immediately understood Martin's implication, "Are you interested in this role?"

Martin stated directly, "I'm indeed a little interested."

After some thought, Graham said, "I am currently out of town; how about we talk face to face when I return to Los Angeles?"

Martin replied, "That's fine."

Graham had worked with Martin on "Infernal Affairs" and knew he was an actor with great acting skills, commercial appeal, and true dedication, "I will call you when I get back."

After both sides hung up the phone, Thomas had already instructed the new assistant to purchase Tony Mendez's autobiography, "Master of Disguise."

Martin put away the project proposal and the magazine, and said to Thomas, "Take this project out separately; I want it."

Thomas immediately made a call to seal off this project in the database.

As the company's top priority male actor, any project Martin was interested in would temporarily be closed off to others.

The new assistant quickly brought Tony Mendez's autobiography, "Master of Disguise."

Martin glanced at the time and said, "I'll be taking off now."

Thomas saw him out.

After Martin got in the car, he secured the magazine and autobiography and asked Bruce, "Old Cloth, have you heard of Tony Mendez before?"

"I've heard of him; supposedly he did a lot of covert stuff," Bruce started the car, pulling onto the road, "When I was serving in England, I believe Laxton signed off on declassifying many of the CIA's secret operations, some of which involved Tony Mendez."

He didn't forget his routine jab at the English: "Compared to MI6, which the Brits hype up, the CIA is much more efficient, and even the Russians are better than them." Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

"The Russians have swallows," Martin took out his phone and called Nicholson, asking Bruce to drive toward San Fernando Valley.

In a small studio in the Valley, a Hollywood crew had recently set up shop; most of the footage for "Game of Dogs" would be shot there.

Near the studio, there was a hotel where the great detective Nicholson had booked a suite with a balcony facing the studio.

When Martin arrived, he found Leonardo watching the crew from the balcony.

"What's the situation?" Martin asked.

Nicholson said, "After I got back from New York, I've been secretly keeping an eye on Marina and even paid a hefty sum to have her phone tapped."

Leonardo chimed in, "She sometimes talks to her uncle in Paris on the phone, discussing her daily life in Los Angeles."

Nicholson remarked, "Calling loved ones to check in is normal, but coupled with our conjecture, she becomes even more suspicious."

Martin nodded, picked up a pair of binoculars, and looked at the crew in the studio, asking, "What's the deal with this crew?"

Nicholson had done his homework, "'Game of Dogs,' a very generic film crew, with an investment of about 3 million US dollars. I asked around about the script, the details are confidential within the crew, and it's known to be an artsy film."

Leonardo added something, "I've seen two people in this crew."

Martin inquired, "Who?"

The one who answered, however, was Nicholson, "The mother-daughter duo we met in New York, Catherine Oxenberg and her daughter India."

Martin sensed something off, "They're in this crew too?"

Nicholson explained, "Catherine Oxenberg is the producer, and India seems to be one of many actors."

He suddenly broke into a laugh, "Isn't it interesting?"