America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Leaving the hospital room, Thomas, who had come along, had just finished his phone call and returned in time to join Martin in heading downstairs to get into the Escalade that Bruce had driven over.

By the time they managed to escape the entanglement with entertainment reporters and paparazzi, Thomas said, "I just received feedback from the company, Sony Columbia Pictures is planning to remake 'Jumanji,' and Johnson was interested in the male lead but was rejected by Sony Columbia."

Martin had seen the project's planning documents, screenplay outline, and character design for the main team in the WMA database, and asked, "Does Sony Columbia still plan to collaborate with WMA?"

Thomas nodded, "They asked about your schedule."

Martin wasn't interested in projects focusing on an ensemble cast, "Tell them, I don't have any openings in the next two years." He thought for a moment, "Isn't there an African-American and a busty girl among the four main characters? Recommend Mene and Alexandra for those roles."

Mene and his agent had already joined WMA, Thomas replied, "I'll make sure the company gives them a strong recommendation."

Martin remembered that the remake of "Jumanji" had a sequel, and the film should be commercially safe.

As for Johnson, he was actually average in pulling box office numbers; the number of films where he played the main lead and flopped weren't fewer than his successful ones.

Martin hadn't reached Beverly Hills when he received a call from Alexandra.

"I'm at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel," Alexandra said specifically, "And Catherine is here too."

What normal man could refuse an invitation from such a pair of sisters? Martin replied, "I'll be right over."

He left Thomas in Century City and rushed to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

In the long-term penthouse suite at the top floor, Martin met Alexandra and Catherine.

Nicholson's performance had left him neurotically drained these past few days, and he could reinvigorate himself with some "face wash."

After just one night, Martin bounced back from fatigue, temporarily put Leonardo and Nicholson aside, and went with Louise to audition Scott Frank.

The screenwriter-turned-director, who had been in the industry for over 20 years and dabbled in acting, screenwriting, directing, and producing, was not only dedicated to his Hollywood work but also an amateur chess player, making it to the top eight three times in national non-professional tournaments.

In the interview, besides discussing the creative concept of "The Queen's Gambit," Martin also arranged for a chess grandmaster they had hired to play a game with Scott Frank.

It turned out that Scott Frank's chess skills were quite remarkable, almost at a professional level.

And he was also quite knowledgeable about the novel "The Queen's Gambit," having delved deeply into the real-life people behind the novel back in the eighties and nineties.

Although the novel's protagonist, Beth Harmon, was fictional, Walter Tevis borrowed from the experiences of the famous chess World Champion, Bobby Fischer, in his writing.

From the end of World War II to the seventies, all five chess World Champions were from the former Soviet Union.

It wasn't until 1972 that Bobby Fischer defeated the former Soviet chess king, Boris Spassky, breaking the former USSR's monopoly on the chess World Championship.

This had very special significance during the Cold War between the US and USSR.

Walter Tevis also created "The Queen's Gambit" after watching that match, but he changed the male protagonist into a female one.

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The project had always been niche, with a woman as the absolute protagonist, a major reason why adaptations had never taken off.

But times had changed, and movies or TV shows with a strong female lead might be entering their most popular period.

After two days of interviews and chess matches, Martin and Louise agreed that Scott Frank was very suitable for adapting and directing "The Queen's Gambit."

The crew immediately registered a studio and signed a contract with Scott Frank, who would be responsible for adapting the film screenplay into about eight episodes of a TV series script and would be the director of the project.

With the screenwriter and director confirmed, Martin shifted his focus to preparing for his next role.

He visited a mental health center to get a firsthand look at patients with dissociative identity disorder.

The preparation for "Split" was nearing completion, and they were ready to start filming on schedule in early November.

Martin had daily direct discussions with David Fincher, not only about the role but also about directorial work.

"Joker" was also a dark, antisocial type of film.

Martin had wanted to invite Nolan or David Fincher to direct "Joker," but Nolan had announced that superhero movies were over for him, and David Fincher had already signed with Netflix. After completing "Split," he was set to start working on "House of Cards Season 2."

If a suitable director couldn't be found, Martin planned to try his hand at it himself.

"Split" wasn't difficult for a director like David Fincher, who excelled at dark and psychological issues. The real difficulty lay in Martin's performance.

To prepare for this role, Martin hadn't locked himself in a hotel for over a month like he did with Joker, but he had taken two large notebooks' worth of notes and had over thirty real-life interactions with individuals suffering from dissociative identity disorder.

David Fincher wasn't like Nolan when it came to promotion and marketing; he wasn't one for gimmicks.

However, David Fincher did have some suggestions regarding the characterization.

"The main attraction of the film is the personality switches."

In the office, David Fincher pointed out to Martin, "If you can't effortlessly craft distinct personalities, I can guarantee that both of us will become front-runners for the Golden Raspberry Awards."

Martin laughed, "My goal is the Oscar for Best Actor. Being turned into the worst actor by the Razzies would shock film fans around the world. To protect them, I'll do whatever it takes to nail this role."

David Fincher said, "Although thrillers are at a slight disadvantage at the Oscars, many have won Best Actor from this genre in the past. With your abilities behind the scenes, as long as the character is solid, getting a nomination shouldn't be a problem."

He thought for a moment, "I'll ensure the story flows well and give you more shots and space to showcase your transformation between personalities."

Martin was confident in himself and said, "No problem on my end."

David Fincher asked another question, "Should we leave enough suspense at the end for a sequel?"

"No need," Martin replied. "The protagonist escaping will be enough."

If the first installment was a success, talking about a sequel wouldn't be too late.

Of course, whether or not there was a sequel, this was meant to be a realistic dark thriller, not a supernatural film.

After discussing for another half-hour, Martin left the office, ready to call it a day and head home.

He walked out of the small office building by the studio and was preparing to get into his car when someone came out of the main entrance of the studio.

Sporting fitted workout clothes, Anya Taylor Joy quickly approached and greeted, "Hello, Martin."

Martin nodded with a smile and asked, "Have you already joined the cast?"

Anya's eyes, puffy as if they were goldfish eyes, answered, "I'm rehearsing in advance. Some of it involves scenes with you. Could I ask when you're available? It would help me adjust my schedule."

After considering it, Martin said, "For the next few days, I'll be spending every day at a mental therapy center for firsthand experience. Rehearsal for our scenes together might have to be scheduled for next week."

"Firsthand experience?" Anya hesitated before probing, "Could I come with you?"

She picked up the script in her hand and shook it, "My character interacts with you a lot, and I need to understand dissociative identity disorder as well."

It wasn't a big deal, and Martin readily agreed, "Let's meet in Century City tomorrow."

Anya smiled and said, "Thank you for your help."

"It's not just for this," Martin replied. "The crew would have made arrangements regardless."

"I... am not just thanking you for this." Anya spoke forthrightly, "I also want to thank you for choosing me for this role."

Martin saw Bruce approaching in an electric four-wheeler and said, "You're mainly because you're the right fit."

He offered, "Hop on, and we'll go to the parking lot together."

Anya certainly wouldn't refuse, and she joined Martin on the electric vehicle to leave the Disney Studio.

Before leaving, she got Martin's cell phone number under the pretext of making it convenient to contact him the next day.

The new generation of Hollywood actresses wasn't more conservative than the old; in fact, they were even more open.