Chapter 84: Casting the Lead, Ma Te

The news of Lin Nan appearing in Hollywood couldn't be hidden at all.

Photos had already been sent back to the country.

Warner Bros. headquarters.

Still the same place where Lin Nan had visited the set of "Batman: The Dark Knight" last time.

Nolan was like the king here, ruling over hundreds of special effects engineers.

"Lin, come take a look at the results."

Nolan pulled Lin Nan along to watch the finished special effects footage.

In the three-minute sequence, Liu Liu Yifei walked in front, with Leonardo following behind.

The distant city slowly rose up, folded, blotted out the sky, and then flipped upside down.

Underfoot was a road, and the sky overhead was also a road; the city and its mirror image formed a pair.

People and cars were still moving—one moment stepping on a wall, the next it became the ground of the subjective world.

"What do you think?"

"Perfect, absolutely fantastic."

"Haha, this film is definitely going to go down in cinema history as a classic."

Nolan declared it with great conviction, even clenching his fist, looking extremely excited.

The special effects were stunning, but Lin Nan's attention was on the people and equipment at Warner Bros., and he watched them with great envy.

"I came over this time because there's a film I need to shoot," Lin Nan said.

Nolan came back to himself. "What film? Another sci-fi?"

"No, it's a realistic subject."

"Oh, I remember—you're the Silver Bear director from Berlin, this is your strong suit. How can I help?"

"I need actors with good acting who are cheap, haha."

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Nolan rolled his eyes.

"The kind you're talking about, I'm not familiar with. There are no cheap commercial-film actors.

You could try asking around in the indie film circle, or just go straight to Leonardo—never mind, he's too expensive.

But his circle of friends, many of them have decent acting and aren't paid too much."

Nolan could tell Lin Nan was joking, but he still offered his advice.

"Thanks, I'll take my time picking over the next couple of days."

Everyone knows what the situation in Hollywood is like right now—many actors are out of work, so there's plenty to choose from.

After specifically inquiring about the price of the entire special effects production system Warner Bros. was currently using, Lin Nan felt it was better for him to take things slow.

"New Moon" had begun its promotion.

Last year's "Twilight," though its box-office potential only lasted a week, had still mobilized a huge number of fans—especially female fans.

This year's promotional strategy still focused on the fan base.

"Tang Mu, pay some attention to the promotion and distribution over at Lionsgate, and stop thinking about those stocks of yours."

"Can you not mention stocks? I'm about to drive them out of my head…"

Tang Mu had a constipated look on his face.

"Alright, go send out another casting notice. My film needs a male lead, around forty years old, give or take a bit, preferably married."

Tang Mu instantly perked up. "I'll get right on it."

There really are a lot of shady film festivals overseas.

Lin Nan had only been here two days before he received a film festival invitation, called something like the Chinese-American Film Festival.

He even looked it up specifically—turns out it was hosted by an American company, and this year's opening film was "Kicks" from Hong Kong Island.

Isn't this just for gilding some bad films?

That afternoon, Lin Nan received a call from Ryan Lei Nuozi.

"Director Lin Nan, this is Ryan."

"Ryan, I haven't congratulated you yet—happy newlywed."

This guy had just gotten married to Scarlett in September.

"Thanks.

Director, I wanted to ask if your film has a role that suits me?

You should know my acting."

This question gave Lin Nan a headache. Ryan Lei Nuozi's acting really was quite good, fully demonstrated in "Buried."

But his age wasn't quite right—he'd just turned thirty. Lin Nan needed a male lead around forty.

"Sorry, Ryan, I need a male actor around forty, that would feel more natural."

Ryan Lei Nuozi on the other end of the line was clearly a bit disappointed.

"That's really too bad. Thank you, Director Lin Nan. I hope there's still a chance to work with you in the future."

"There will be."

From the moment Tang Mu sent out the casting notice on Lin Nan's behalf, actors had been coming to inquire nonstop.

The influence of a Silver Bear director was still not to be underestimated.

Even James Wan was teasing Lin Nan.

"Hollywood's output this year has been cut by more than half. Your Silver Bear director film is absolutely a hot commodity."

"But so far, I still haven't found a suitable one."

Lin Nan had even started leaving himself a fallback—if he really couldn't find a suitable one, he'd just let Ryan Lei Nuozi do it, makeup could handle the rest.

Leonardo would also work, but he's simply too expensive.

This film's budget was never high to begin with; whether it's salary or giving up investment shares, Lin Nan was not keen on hiring Li Zi.

Some people really shouldn't be thought about—think of them, and they show up.

"Hey, Leo?"

"Lin, I heard you're looking for actors?"

"Yes."

"Like a script like Inception?"

"No. A realistic drama, but I definitely can't afford you."

Lin Nan suddenly remembered Nolan's words.

"Do you have anyone you could recommend to me?"

"Around forty? Preferably married?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm… go find Ma Te or Ma Xiu."

"You mean Ma Te Damon and Ma Xiu McConaughey?"

"Yes, them—around forty, married, both have children."

Lin Nan chatted with Leonardo for a while; the latter was currently vacationing on Miami Beach.

The Victoria's Secret Show is happening there in a couple days—what a life.

The next day, Lin Nan met Ma Te Damon.

They were somewhat familiar—having spoken at galas and award ceremonies.

He was two years older than Leonardo, but faced the same problem: not being recognized by those old guys at the Academy.

But for Lin Nan, that was perfect; the character in the script needed to be likable to young girls, so he had to look good too.

"Forty-something, divorced, has children, kind and patient—that's the protagonist's profile."

"Ma Te, let me think it over, I'll get back to you in a couple days," Lin Nan said to Ma Te Damon.

"Thank you, Director Lin Nan."

"Leonard told me I had a chance to be in Inception, right? Haha…"

This question was hard to answer; Lin Nan could only laugh along.

Not long after seeing off Ma Te Damon, Ma Xiu McConaughey arrived.

Lin Nan wondered if the two had arranged to come together.

His audition was equally strong, but Lin Nan felt Ma Te Damon seemed a bit more cheerful.

A kind, sunny male lead whose story gets destroyed—that better embodies the film's theme, doesn't it?

Back home.

Many films had deliberately avoided October's The Martian, scheduling for November instead.

As a result, November saw an average of two or three new films released daily.

And unlike the booming October market, audiences suddenly lost their enthusiasm for going to theaters; the market had grown noticeably cold.

Some media outlets republished Lin Nan's casting requirements from Hollywood.

"Has auditioning already started?"

"Yes, many Hollywood actors have auditioned; results should be coming soon."

Many in the industry were closely watching Lin Nan's film; media began following up with reports.

Tang Mu had withdrawn his public audition notice.

Lin Nan ultimately chose Ma Te Damon and gave him the script.

"Oh, thank goodness Leonardo isn't in Hollywood, haha."

"Lin, can I invite him to visit the set? I can already picture his expression—haha…"

"Of course, but keep it secret until filming begins. And you must immerse yourself in the script first—I plan a short shooting schedule," Lin Nan reminded him.

Ma Te Damon nodded. "I'll start today. I won't leave again before filming."

A good script is hard to find, anywhere.

In Ma Te Damon's eyes, the script in his hands was excellent.

Scandals, lies, suspicion, hatred, and cold human nature…

It could very well help him achieve another breakthrough.

Lin Nan sat alone in his office, thinking about the film. The largest expense in the budget would be Ma Te Damon's salary.

His salary, while far below Leonardo's, was still substantial.

"The makeup and design need careful planning—the contrast must be stronger."

…………

As November began, several New Year films launched large-scale promotions.

Feng Feng Xiaogang's If You Are the One maintained its usual promotional style, claiming a 300-million-yuan box office was easy, and 400 million was possible.

Mei Mei Lanfang was reportedly submitted to the Berlin International Film Festival; after watching it, Han Han Sanping and others praised it highly in front of the media.

"A cinematic master paying tribute to a opera master."

"Director Chen Chen Kaige will be the strongest contender for next year's Golden Bear."

Lin Nan saw the promotional poster for Ip Man online.

He didn't know who came up with the idea, but the largest, most prominent space on the poster was given to the screenwriter.

Screenwriter: Lin Nan.

And to tell the truth, the effect really was quite good.

Many netizens said they could go check it out when the time came.

Yang Yang Shoucheng specifically called over to talk about this matter.

"The Martian" had only just finished its theatrical run not long ago, and its influence hadn't diminished at all; the combined pull of the "Ip Man" cast didn't amount to as much as Lin Nan alone.

Yang Yang Shoucheng even joked that from now on, whenever Lin Nan's own films were released, they could simply add a line: "A Lin Nan Film."

A Hollywood film consultancy reported on the audition results for Lin Nan's new movie.

Ma Te Damon had been cast as the lead by this young Silver Bear-winning director, and word was it was on the recommendation of his good friend Leonardo.

"Ma Te's a hell of a talent — wait till you've worked with him on this one and you'll see for yourself.

Still, it's a real shame you didn't make it to Miami Beach; wait till I get back to Hollywood in a couple of days and I'll fill you in…"

Leonardo's devotion to supermodels remained, as always, unshakable.

Lin Nan was prepping the crew on one hand while reading the email Yue Jun had sent on the other.

The broadcast rights for "Lurk" had already been sold; the price was a bit lower than "My Chief and My Regiment," but still within an acceptable range.

Tang Mu had already returned from the guild, and now, flat broke, he was itching for the company to greenlight a few more film projects.

"All the supporting cast, extras, and crew are locked in.

Lin, you can start rolling whenever you want."