America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The sky darkened, and a bonfire was ignited on the beach. Martin and the others, having been absurd all afternoon, let the models do their own thing and, joining after dinner, started drinking and chatting with Danny Boyle.

Leonardo specifically made introductions for Martin and Boyle.

The others, knowing the two had matters to discuss, deliberately kept a little distance.

"The first time I heard about you was because of 'The Hills Have Eyes,'" Boyle lifted his beer bottle, clinked it with Martin's, and said, "At that time, I watched you with just a baseball bat and a dog, brutally beating the road killer who terrorized Americans. It felt really satisfying."

He took a sip of beer, "Even cooler than McGregor in 'Trainspotting.'

Martin laughed, "I'm not interested in that stuff."

But Boyle said, "Your next movie, 'Endless,' the one where the protagonist gets strong after taking smart drugs."

Martin was straightforward, "So, I need a suitable director who can depict the transformation of the protagonist from a fool into a smart person and show the powerful process, that is, the kind of exhilarating feeling it can give to the audience, clearly and completely."

Boyle, not a traditional English director, had quite a few ideas, "Actually, the best approach is to let the audience adopt the first-person perspective of the protagonist. As the protagonist uses cheats to become powerful, everything he enjoys and gains is somewhat equivalent to what they acquire.

Everyone dreams of reaching the top of society effortlessly, without hard work, and this novel's protagonist fits that perfectly."

These words coincided with the ideas of Martin and Bradt, and Martin tentatively felt that Boyle might be suitable.

If their principles didn't align, there was no point in further discussion.

For instance, if Martin wanted to make a commercial film and the director wanted to make an art film with depth and philosophical reflection, it would only hurt both parties, and there would be no point in collaborating.

Martin asked directly, "Danny, you've been in touch with my agent Thomas. I presume you have some thoughts and insights on the adaptation?"

Boyle also knew the importance of having aligned visions and said, "This is a commercial adaptation. Since it's a commercial movie, the first thing to establish is who the target audience is? What do these people expect when they want to watch this movie or go to see it?"

Martin nodded slightly, appreciating the practicality of the director.

Boyle continued, "The smart drug isn't the goal, it's the means of becoming powerful. I believe what the general audience most wants to see is the protagonist's splendid performance after getting strong, the complex chain reactions that ensue, what he gains through the smart drug, what troubles he encounters, and how he resolves them. These are the focal points."

Martin raised his beer bottle, "Our thoughts are very close."

Boyle smiled, "Looks like I passed the interview then?"

Martin nodded, "When are you free to visit Warner Bros. Studios' Davis Studio? You, me, the producer Louise Mel, screenwriter Bradt, and stunt coordinator Chad, we need to have a talk together."

This was a necessary step. A film crew didn't just involve the director and the leading actor; Boyle also needed broader approval.

After pondering for a moment, Boyle said, "How about in three days? I need to read the novel again and organize my thoughts systematically before heading over."

Martin replied, "No problem, call me before you come over."

Boyle toasted with Martin, "I hope we can work together."

Martin took a sip of beer, "I hope so too."

In the last few days, Martin had rewatched "Trainspotting," "The Beach," and "28 Days Later." Danny Boyle was undoubtedly a capable director, and his movies were also geared towards a mainstream commercial audience.

Leonardo came over and asked, "Are you guys done talking?"

Martin shrugged, "We're done."

"Great!" Leonardo exclaimed, "Let the night's festivities begin!"

Martin spoke disdainfully, "That's your surprise party this afternoon? No surprise, just faster than me at confusing, with plenty of scares to boot."

Leonardo was excited, "What's next is the water gun fight I've meticulously prepared."

Nicholson mocked, "Besides water guns, what else can you do?"

"An extraordinary water gun fight!" Leonardo shouted towards the distance, "Ladies, are you ready? Come on over!"

A group of giggling women ran over, several of them painted with targets, and the centers of those targets were placed very particularly.

As he'd promised a water gun party, Leonardo was naturally prepared; although he and a group of models had been outplayed by Martin in the afternoon, he regained some face with a special water gun fight in the evening.

The party-goers were lively, making noise well into the night before calming down.

Only in Malibu Beachside was this possible – such a commotion would have brought the police to their doorstep early on if it were Beverly Hills or Sherman Oaks.

The next morning, the party company sent cars to pick up the models they had hired.

Leonardo, seeing Martin sitting drinking water, quickly gave Nicholson a knowing look.

Nicholson approached and said, "Let's go, let's go, let's all have lunch downtown together."

Martin stood up and followed the two out of the villa.

The beautiful women, seeing the three men also leaving, repeatedly turned back to wave goodbye.

Nicholson pointed outside the villa, "My car is over there, hop in and we'll go together."

Leonardo seemed very concerned and asked specifically, "Danny Boyle left early in Toby's car. You settled things with him."

Following behind Nicholson, Martin spoke as they walked, "We've basically reached an agreement on some of the philosophical aspects. As for the remaining things like salary and benefits, someone from the crew will talk to him."

Leonardo said, "His fee isn't that high."

Nicholson added, "Danny Boyle isn't exactly a top-tier director."

The three men talked as they passed through the villa's front hall, following behind a group of beautiful young ladies, and exited through the front door together.

Just as they stepped out, Martin heard the sound of camera shutters clicking. With a casual glance, he spotted at least three paparazzi snapping photos.

From their angle, they could easily capture him, Leonardo, Nicholson, and the group of women.

Leonardo and Nicholson didn't seem to care, with the latter even flipping off the paparazzi.

Which, naturally, led to even more frantic shooting.

Martin kept a poker face as they got into Nicholson's stretch Lincoln.

Only after the models' shuttle van had left did the driver start the Lincoln.

Leonardo and Nicholson acted as if nothing had happened, chatting idly among themselves.

Martin pointed at these two jerks and jumped to a conclusion, "The paparazzi were called by you guys, weren't they?"

How could Leonardo possibly admit it? He shook his head repeatedly, "Are you kidding me? Why would we call the paparazzi? To tell people we threw a wild party last night?"
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Nicholson hurriedly moved to a seat opposite Martin and, pointing at Martin, said, "You're paranoid. In your eyes, there are no good people. You always expect the worst from me and Leo."

Martin couldn't help but sneer, "You guys are the good guys? Ha, then surely there are no bad people in the world."

Leonardo spread his hands and said, "Why would we do that? Get ourselves exposed along with you? Have the tabloids all over us? How would that benefit me and Jack?"

At first glance, that seemed to make sense, especially since Leonardo and Nicholson had also been captured by the paparazzi.

But Martin was quick to respond, his mind quickly making connections, "You two are single, so it's no big deal if you're caught on camera, just adds one more story to your numerous scandals!"

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh, "You really have a wild imagination."

The old pervert Nicholson said, "Don't mind him. Martin exerted himself too much last night. The lack of blood flow downstairs has messed with his brain."

He purposely asked Martin, "Need to go to the hospital? I've got a private doctor who can take care of both your lower and upper heads."

Martin raised two fingers, flipping them both off, "You think this will scare me? It's a joke. You know nothing about me."

What's some minor gossip before the effect of fandom fades?

Moreover, he could just tell the truth.

Leonardo and Nicholson exchanged glances, wondering if it really didn't work? Martin, the bastard, had betrayed their trio. They just wanted to bring Martin back on track.

Find a steady girlfriend? The true path is to roam free.

Martin stopped talking, his mind churning. He'd find a chance to make these two assholes pay.

Arriving at the restaurant, Leonardo and Nicholson went in first.

Martin made the excuse of having a phone call to make and waited for Bruce to come over, asking, "Do you have any mentholatum in stock?"

Bruce nodded, "I still have some at home."

"I'm off to eat," Martin gestured towards the restaurant, "you enjoy your free time."

He planned to get some mentholatum and find the right opportunity to gift it to Leonardo and Nicholson.

It didn't matter if they realized it, he could simply say it was a bug repellent gift.

If they were careless and used it as he suggested in certain areas, it was sure to be entertaining.

Martin believed that to handle these two perverts, he had to resort to perverted means.

After lunch, on his way back to Cody Community, Martin received an expected call from Blake in New York.

She inquired, "I saw the news online. You went to Leonardo's party last night?"

"Yeah, I went to Leo's party. Organized a water gun party," Martin was telling the truth, "A big group of us split into two teams, attacking each other on the beach like a real-life Counter-Strike game. My team was victorious, and we turned Leonardo into a drenched chicken."

After sharing a bit about the party, he shifted to business matters, "The main reason was to ask Leo to invite the British director Danny Boyle. I got in touch with him at the party about a new project, our production philosophies are not far apart, and as long as there are no surprises, Danny Boyle will be the director for the new project."

Once Blake responded, Martin asked about her work, and they ended the call smoothly.

Two days later, Danny Boyle found Martin, and after a group meeting at Davis Studio including Louise, the "Endless" project was officially confirmed with him as the director.