America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 All rights reserved

Over the next few days, Martin busied himself establishing a studio with the help of Thomas and related companies.

In the three-story office building where Pacific Pictures was located, there were many unoccupied rooms. Martin rented an office with an inner suite as the studio's base, named Davis Film Production Company.

Besides Martin and Bruce, the company's formal staff only included a part-time receptionist shared with Pacific Pictures and Gray Company.

Davis Studio was established quietly.

On the day of the establishment, Martin formally invited Thomas for dinner, bearing the weight of gratitude.

Even the most cold-hearted capitalist couldn't make a horse run without allowing it to graze.

Besides, Martin was a conscientious good man, not a capitalist.

Having heard about "Wanted Order" from Martin, Thomas said, "Hollywood stars reach a certain point where they definitely participate in the investment and production to gain more influence. Examples like Brad Pitt, Leonardo, Rachel Weisz, and others... Aren't you taking this step a bit too early?"

Martin was receptive to genuine advice and said, "My situation is different from theirs." He had the best reason and excuse, "You've forgotten about Louise. This is a project that Louise is optimistic about, and in fact, she's in control of the board."

With that said, Thomas immediately felt at ease. With Louise backing Martin, he naturally had an advantage from the start.

Martin added, "As long as The Hills Have Eyes isn't a complete flop, it won't be hard for me to pull in investments."

Thomas rubbed his shiny forehead, reminding himself not to view Martin as he would other actors.

He had seen firsthand that Martin had a support group in Atlanta—Kelly Gray, the boss of the largest film company in Georgia, and that female King Kong. They were all truly wealthy.

Thinking of the female King Kong, Thomas looked at Martin sympathetically. For his career, it certainly wasn't easy.

Tyson and Holyfield were nothing compared to this.

Martin noticed his agent's gaze was strange and decided to lay a bit more burden on him. After all, he had treated him to dinner, suggesting, "Negotiations are your specialty. Go talk to Top Bull Comics and buy out the rights to 'Wanted Order.'"

Thomas frowned, "An agent can't directly participate in film production."

Martin replied, "I'm not asking you to join. We won't reach the production stage anytime soon, just go and negotiate the rights. Thomas, look around me. Apart from Old Cloth who messes up, there's only Mene who's unreliable. The only truly talented one is you."

Thomas was pleased, "That's true."

Martin said earnestly, "Such an important task, I can only entrust it to you."

"Okay, leave it to me," Thomas then asked, "What's your budget?"

Martin was honest, "I'll take care of the initial development funds. You know I'm quite poor, so the lower, the better."

After dinner, Thomas returned to the office alone to work overtime, collecting sales and market reactions of "Wanted Order," and understanding the situation with Top Bull Comics, and so on.

He wanted to be fully prepared before contacting Top Bull Comics.

Martin left the restaurant, got into the car, and flipped through the drafted Annie-Hathaway relationship plan, saying, "Old Cloth, the Flirting Scholar crew is shooting night scenes tonight. Call the paparazzi; we're going to visit the set."

Bruce said, "Time for another date."

Martin said, "Both Thomas and The Hills Have Eyes Crew suggested that a weekly basis is most appropriate."

Bruce pulled out the spare phone, "Poor love."

Martin countered, "Isn't it killing two birds with one stone to enjoy a beautiful romance while working?"

"Only a freak like you would think that way," Bruce began dialing to notify the paparazzi.

Minutes later, he started the car, taking Martin straight to the heart of Los Angeles City.

On the way, Martin stopped to pick up a pre-ordered gift.

Different from Atlanta, the center of Los Angeles City was a veritable slum.

For safety considerations, the crew chose to shoot night street scenes on the main road.

When Martin arrived, Annie was filming. In stark contrast to her previous Disney Princess roles, she was dressed in a tattered denim jacket with metal buckles, heavy smoky makeup, and large metal earrings and necklaces, resembling a street-savvy girl.

Stars can't keep doing youth films that bank on looking younger forever, and Annie was also seeking to transition.

After turning 25, it becomes a hard sell to cast them as young girls in mainstream Hollywood films.

A whole new generation of young actresses was waiting to take over; age out a Disney Princess, and she's out of the picture.

Annie-Hathaway was one of the more successful Disney Princesses in terms of transitioning.

Martin, holding the gift, got out of the car and stood on the periphery of the set, careful not to disturb the normal operations of the crew.

During a filming break, Annie noticed Martin and waved at him.

Soon, the paparazzi and entertainment reporters appeared.

In Hollywood, there's an unwritten understanding between the film industry and the entertainment media. Normally during filming, reporters and paparazzi don't take photos, but the crews do provide news at times.

Jody got off his motorcycle, and seeing the crew temporarily not filming, quickly grabbed his camera. He photographed Martin with the gift first, then Annie turning her head towards Martin.

Snapping pictures of their meeting, he could easily earn over 100 US dollars tonight.

The crew shot for a bit longer and then broke for a midnight snack to refuel. Martin, carrying the gift box, approached Annie.

"What brings you here?" Annie asked with a pursed smile.

Martin opened the gift box, "I called the crew and found out you were shooting a night scene tonight. I was worried you wouldn't get to eat well, so I specially ordered the queen gold donuts for you."

Standing beside her, Laura and Sandy leaned in to look, and when they saw the gift box that Martin had opened, they exclaimed, "The queen gold donuts that you need to preorder!"

Annie moved in closer, "That's thoughtful of you."

Martin placed it in front of her, "Try one?"

Sandy was very envious, "Annie, you're so lucky, I'm so jealous."

Annie's sense of superiority grew. She picked up a donut, took a gentle bite, swallowed, and said, "It tastes great, it's to my liking."

She signaled Laura and Sandy with her eyes.

Martin was quick to respond, "Now it belongs to you."

Annie pointed to the box and said to Sandy and Laura, "Help yourselves."

A $100 apiece donut that had to be specially ordered attracted a lot of attention from the crew. Annie ate in small bites, feeling particularly proud.

There was no shooting going on, but the cameras in the paparazzi's hands kept flashing.

Annie noticed this too and broke off a small piece of the donut, bringing it to Martin's lips, "You try it."

Martin opened his mouth and let Annie feed him.

The sound of camera shutters became continuous.

Martin ate it and deliberately said, "It has your taste, which makes it especially good."

Annie stared at Martin, the more she looked, the more she liked him, but unfortunately...

Martin, with his keen perception, noticed the change in Annie's expression and made an educated guess, "I was planning to visit the set earlier, but I've been tied up with work these past few days."

Hearing this, Annie was somewhat dissatisfied. How could work be more important than herself?

Martin continued, "I've just set up a studio and am planning to invest in a new film project, involving tens of millions of dollars, so I can't afford to take it lightly."

Annie's dissatisfaction immediately dissipated, and she asked curiously, "Your company? A multi-million dollar project?"

Martin, of course, wouldn't lie. Everything he said was the truth, "The total investment might be over 40 million dollars. I have some connections in Atlanta that can bring in more than half of the investment. The rest will be solved through a consortium. If things go well, I'll be serving as the second producer and the lead actor."

Annie blinked her beautiful eyes. Her dissatisfaction vanished completely. The only flaw she saw in Martin seemed to fade away, and she was filled with joy, "Martin, you're so impressive. You're already moving towards becoming a producer."

Martin aimed to leave a deeper impression, "Once my crew is established, I'll take you there for a tour."

Annie wanted to witness it with her own eyes, "Sounds good."

She picked up the remnants of the half-eaten donut and fed Martin again, "You've been working so hard. Eat some more, you've been neglecting yourself lately with all the shooting, and make sure to take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, I will." Martin finished the rest of the donut and pointed to the box, "Another one?"

Annie shook her head, "I can't eat any more, it'll affect how I look on camera."

Martin fetched Annie's water bottle from the side, handed it to her, and then grabbed a trash can, placing it by her feet as she finished drinking and rinsed her mouth.

Annie covered her mouth, spit out the rinse water, and smiled at Martin, "Thank you."

Martin said, "Of course."

Annie tilted her head, watching Martin throw away the trash, her lips forming a lovely line.

A handsome guy with a great personality, a bright future, capable of securing millions in investment, and so considerate...

Annie's heart started thumping hard.

She quickly pressed down on her chest, reminding herself silently: Stay composed, maintain a lofty demeanor, and keep him hanging on a bit longer.

The crew's break time was almost over. Annie snuck a glance around her, noticing that many journalists and paparazzi were watching her and Martin.

Before she left to touch up her makeup, she came up to Martin, grabbed his hand tightly, and looked into his eyes deeply, "Work is important, but health is more important. Make sure to rest and don't overexert yourself."

Martin held her hand back, full of affection, "Annie, you are the motivation behind my projects. I swear, you will become a real princess!"

Not far away, the female paparazzo Jody captured this scene.

She flipped through her digital camera, reviewing the photos she had just taken. First, she smiled with satisfaction; then, she spat out some saliva and cursed, "Damn couple!"

If these two weren't having an affair, she'd eat her camera!

The crew resumed working, and Martin soon left.

As expected, the next day's gossip and entertainment newspapers were again filled with rumors about him and Annie.

Maintaining a certain level of hype was sufficient.

Soon after, Thomas, who was carrying a heavy load, brought good news. After several negotiations with Bull Comics, he finally reached an agreement to buy all the rights of "Wanted Order" for a total price of $350,000.

Not just the film adaptation rights, but also the rights for comic book sequels, novel adaptations, TV series adaptations, and animation adaptations.

According to Martin's plan, if the movie was successful, they could sell the TV series adaptation rights to online platforms like Netflix.

Therefore, it was crucial to ensure the success of the movie.