Chapter 345

It's no mistake for him to get on good terms with Xu Can ahead of time.

Moreover, Xu Can's social influence in North America already rivals that of Schwarzenegger in his prime.

He even sparked a quiet revolution that significantly elevated the status of Chinese Americans!

Chinese people, once bullied by Black, Latino, and white people alike, are now someone everyone must think twice before messing with.

Getting on good terms with him helps secure the Asian American vote.

Thus, faced with Xu Can's request, Michael Bloomberg almost universally and unconditionally agreed.

Close Times Square for three days? No problem! I'll close it for a week if you want!

You don't need to go through any procedures or submit reports to film anywhere—police cars lead the way, roads are sealed, and NCPD officers maintain order!

Even if there's a gunfight on the street, Xu Can's movie matters more!

Gunfight? Is that rare in North America?

……

The main filming locations for The Avengers are in New York; all key relationships have been smoothed out, ready to start shooting anytime.

Even the U. S. military was stirred by this movie and specially donated a decommissioned Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to serve as the sky carrier set.

In the original Avengers, the carrier and aircraft were all CGI; the only plane destroyed by the Hulk was a cheaply purchased Harrier jet.

That jet was the same model as the one Schwarzenegger flew in True Lies.

Some even said Joss Whedon was paying homage to James Cameron's film. 540

In reality, it was just because that decommissioned jet was cheap; they couldn't afford more aircraft.

But with Xu Can, besides CGI, there are active F-22 Raptors and the next-generation stealth fighter, the Lightning II, still in development!

The Lightning II hasn't even entered service yet, and no official footage has been released.

Its first public appearance was in 2011; its first deployment won't come until 2015!

No one expected that in 2009, Xu Can's movie would secure this next-generation fighter!

Military enthusiasts worldwide went wild upon hearing this news!

Is this the level of prestige Xu Can commands?

As Xu Can prepared filming locations and logistical arrangements,

The casting for The Avengers was also underway simultaneously.

Compared to other films, Avengers casting was far simpler—all were insiders, and major roles didn't even require auditions.

Iron Man, Captain America, Lei Shen, Black Widow were all ready-made choices,

Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye, had already appeared in Thor.

The only role left to consider was the Hulk.

In this parallel world, only Li An's The Hulk exists; The Incredible Hulk has not been made yet.

Xu Can originally planned to consider Edward Norton, the original Incredible Hulk.

But he's a quasi-A-list Hollywood actor with a high asking price.

Moreover, actors with ambition usually look down on playing comic book roles, fearing they'll be typecast for life.

Xu Can instead targeted Mark Ruffalo, the original Avengers' Bruce Banner.

This guy had been grinding in Hollywood since the 1990s, nearly twenty years without breaking through, always stuck in supporting roles.

When Xu Can approached him, Mark Ruffalo couldn't believe it.

"Me? Play the Hulk?"

"More precisely, Bruce Banner—the Hulk is mostly motion capture. If you don't want it, I'll find someone else…"

"Wait, I'm happy to do it—I'm just stunned."

Mark Ruffalo had a feeling he might finally go viral!

Just by hopping on Xu Can's fast train, even as a secondary lead, he could skyrocket!

With the Hulk settled, there was no one else left to cast.

Thus, Xu Can gathered the original six Avengers and the villain Loki for the official launch ceremony of The Avengers!

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston,

Along with the Mother of God, Samuel L. Jackson, and the actors portraying S. H. I. E. L. D. agents, all gathered on set for a photograph destined for cinematic history.

Xu Can stood center stage, surrounded by the Avengers heroes like stars around the moon.

At the time, none of them knew that the original print of this photo would, ten years later, be auctioned off for $124 by a wealthy businessman.

It was profoundly memorable.

In this The Avengers, Xu Can served as screenwriter and producer, leading the primary creative work.

He trusted the Luo Su brothers—The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Endgame were all their works.

Faced with mere Avengers 1, these brothers surely had their own ideas.

At first, the Luo Su brothers willingly took on assistant roles, applying to be executive directors so Xu Can could serve as overall director.

After all, he was the youngest Oscar winner for Best Director—working under Xu Can would teach them plenty!

But Xu Can, citing other projects, insisted the Luo Su brothers direct Avengers.

He himself would serve as producer and co-writer, overseeing final approval.

Later, in an interview, Anthony Luo Su, the elder brother, chuckled bitterly:

"We thought our years in Hollywood and ample directing experience were enough. But seeing Xu Can, we realized experience means nothing before true talent."

"Xu's age is not a limitation to his directing ability—that's what's most terrifying."

"His shot compositions, his storyboard arrangements—they're wildly imaginative, yet utterly logical."

"If he were confined by Hollywood tradition, he'd still be a good but mediocre director."

"Now, he might just be able to lead a new era! It's time for Hollywood to change."

The reason Xu Can didn't participate in "The Avengers" was that he genuinely had other tasks.

That was his original bread and butter — Spider-Man!

Considering "The Avengers" Phase Two, he planned to power up the villain Ultron.

The original Ultron in Avengers 2 had been nerfed into the sewer — his abilities were ridiculously weak.

This also made "Avengers 2" one of the uglier entries in the entire series.

Xu Can hoped to recreate the horrific scale of "Age of Ultron" from the comics, hoping to deal the Avengers a devastating blow before "Infinity War" arrived.

Therefore, with Ultron powered up, the original six plus Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Quicksilver still wouldn't be enough.

Spider-Man also needs to appear early!

Not "Civil War" but "Age of Ultron"!

That meant before "Avengers 2," he needed to launch Marvel Phase Two with "Spider-Man 3: The Sinister Six"!

So the long-delayed "Spider-Man 3" was finally time to deliver on its promise.

Xu Can needed to star as Spider-Man, so naturally he couldn't direct "Avengers 1," though he could occasionally drop by the set to check on things.

"Does this mean you're going to keep Emma Stone company?"

The night before leaving the Avengers set, in a five-star hotel in New York, Scarlett Johansson clung to Xu Can and interrogated him.

"Of course — I'm the lead, she's the female lead, I have to go."

"When can we pair up in a film together?"

Scarlett Johansson clung to Xu Can's neck, reluctant to let go.

"Sure, I have two scripts ready to go, both could pair with you — see which one you like."

"Tell me about them."

Scarlett Johansson gazed at Xu Can with starry eyes.

The reason she had fallen under Xu Can's spell, besides his looks and the push-and-pull she couldn't resist,

was that Xu Can's talent was what she truly admired,

Women all have a bit of a weakness for the strong — and Black Widow herself was already strong, so she admired anyone stronger than her.

Every time Xu Can brought up an idea for a new film, Scarlett Johansson got more excited than anyone. 【】

She was even getting a little worked up.

"One of them is the story of an ordinary woman becoming a god."

"An ordinary girl is betrayed by a friend and runs off to act as a mule for a criminal organization."

"Something goes wrong in the process — the special drug gets dissolved by her intestines, and her genes mutate to a certain degree."

"Her brain begins to be fully developed."