"Chris, Chris!?" The assistant did his utmost to block the way, but Chris Hemsworth's robust figure plowed through regardless. The office door swung open from his force, and the assistant helplessly looked at Morgan Fisher, indicating his best effort was in vain.
Morgan waved his hand dismissively, not bothered in the slightest. He signaled the assistant to leave and rose from behind his desk, smiling as he approached, "What time does today's shoot start? You better not be late. Kevin Feige is a stickler for punctuality."
Kevin Feige, the helmsman of Marvel Studios, was currently the most sought-after CEO in all of Hollywood.
Morgan reached Chris's side, patting his arm in a friendly manner. His tone was warm yet stern, redirecting Chris's attention, "I'll head to the set right away."
"Thor" was still in full swing, and it was estimated to wrap around Christmas. The main reason for this prolonged schedule was Natalie Portman. She was the most high-profile actor on the whole crew and also the central female lead. The entire shooting timeline revolved around her availability. Over this period, Natalie had been constantly on the move, from Venice to Toronto, tirelessly promoting "Black Swan". Hence, the pace of shooting couldn't pick up.
"Then hurry up and go. It's a bit of a distance from here to Burbank, and it's rush hour now. Time calculations probably won't be that precise," Morgan nudged Chris's back, leading him toward the office door. "How's the recent shooting? When I visited the set last week, you seemed to be adjusting to the green screen well. That's a good sign. Did Natalie return to the set yesterday? So, did you two find some chemistry?"
Chris answered in a daze, his earlier imposing aura gradually dissipating unnoticed. They continued chatting like this, and when they reached the office door, Morgan finally asked, "So, why did you specially come over this morning? Is there something you want?"
Only now did Chris recall the main reason he came over today. "Renly Hall! What's going on with him?" Thinking of this matter, he couldn't help but feel annoyed again, although his momentum wasn't as fierce as before. "How did he end up joining "Fast & Furious"? Didn't you say he had absolutely no chance? Didn't you say he could only dabble in the indie film sector? Didn't you say that no one would remember him by award season?"
Morgan chuckled softly, even letting out a light laugh, as if it were a small joke, "You're worried about this? Hehe." That nonchalant attitude calmed Chris's mood somewhat. "You probably don't know, right? Dwayne Johnson joined "The Expendables" with a four-million-dollar fee, sharing the lead spot with Sylvester Stallone. Although the fee isn't high, he's officially in the lead role. Comparatively, "Fast 5" isn't even worth mentioning. He voluntarily gave that up."
Chris's expression was somewhat uncertain, not entirely believing, nor fully certain, his gaze fixed on Morgan.
Morgan nodded emphatically, confirming, "This news will be officially released by this afternoon at the latest. Trust me. As for "Fast 5", no one will care about such a second-rate series. Besides, he's just the third lead. In the crew, he's impossible to overshadow Vin Diesel and Paul Walker."
Chris remained silent, but his expression was still not great.
He disliked Renly Hall, that was without a doubt. He despised Renly Hall's self-righteous and condescending gaze, as well as his hypocritical and insincere facade. A repulsive aura seemed to emanate from him entirely. Even Morgan didn't like Renly Hall; his words were full of disdain and scorn when it came to Renly Hall, further confirming that his feelings were justified.
Luckily, they had finally torn off the facade. He no longer needed to be hypocritical towards him. Thank heavens.
However, lately, there had been far too much news about Renly Hall. The buzzing praise easily made him the center of attention, and there were even rumors of him and Natalie. It was as though the entire North American gaze was focused on him, causing Chris's stomach to burn.
The only thing that kept him going was "Thor". He was the lead actor in a top-tier blockbuster, an important puzzle piece in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bouquets and applause, lights and praise, all seemed to await him not too far ahead. At that time, he could cast Renly Hall far behind him, severing all ties.
But now... he didn't like the trajectory of this story.
Although Chris kept his silence, Morgan could tell with just one glance. He patted Chris's arm, asking, "Tell me, do you have confidence in "Thor"?"
"Of course!" Chris said firmly.
Morgan nodded in satisfaction. "That's enough. If nothing unexpected happens, "Thor" and "Fast 5" will both be in the summer lineup next year. Specific scheduling will depend on arrangements. However, by then, the box office of both works will decide the outcome. Let me tell you, I'm absolutely confident in "Thor" too!"
Observing closely, Morgan caught the glint of renewed brightness in Chris's eyes. He continued, striking while the iron was hot, "Not all commercial films are worth taking."
Implicit in his words was a disdain for "Fast & Furious". In fact, it wasn't just Morgan; throughout Hollywood, this series couldn't be considered a major event. Be it box office, reputation, audience base, or lead cast, the "Fast & Furious" series didn't rank highly. It was at best a second-rate production.
Imagining the scene where "Thor" overwhelmed "Fast 5" at the box office, Chris smiled contentedly.
After seeing Chris off, Morgan returned to his desk. Various major entertainment news sections lay scattered there. Clearly, the grand gestures of "Fast 5" had sparked fervent discussions. The situation was far from how he had described it moments ago.
"New Emmy kingpin makes a forceful entrance! "Fast & Furious" cast dispels gloom."
"Dust settled, Hall replaces Johnson, heavyweight addition!"
"Universal Studios confirms: "Fast 5" needs fresher, younger blood."
"Justin Lin praises Renly Hall without end: After watching "The Pacific", I hoped to collaborate with him."
"'Finally, "Fast 5" crew officially announces Renly Hall's grand addition, artistic actor ventures into action genre. Is it bold experimentation or reckless betting?"
"Renly Hall emerging from "Buried" what kind of chemical reaction will he bring to "Fast 5"?"
"From "artsy" to action star, the dazzling transformation of a rising actor in Toronto and Telluride, Renly Hall, ignites the topic again."
...
After the debacle of Dwayne's casting switch, the gossip surrounding "Fast 5" was attracting attention from all over North America.
A portion of the readers believed this was just a self-promotion stunt by the production team. They thought there was no actual casting controversy; Dwayne was definitely going to rejoin the cast. This was merely a preliminary publicity campaign orchestrated by the production. In cutthroat Hollywood, this hardly counted as novelty.
Another portion of the readers followed the aftermath of the gossip. They were not concerned with the change in cast but rather whether there had been an actual brawl within the crew. In real life, who would come out on top between Dwayne and Vin?
Yet another portion of readers were curious about who could replace Dwayne. After all, Dwayne was truly one of a kind, almost a unique presence in Hollywood. Anyone replacing Dwayne would undoubtedly face immense pressure. Moreover, this could potentially impact the final quality of "Fast 5".
As time went on, interest in this storm continued to rise. The twists and turns of the situation were intriguing at first, like attention-grabbing scenes, but as time stretched on, it became repetitive. Just when people were growing weary of the topic, clarity finally emerged: a casting change! They had actually switched the cast!
Everyone exploded into a frenzy!
Dwayne's supporters were dumbfounded, hardly able to believe they'd actually changed the cast. Readers who followed the gossip began to draw conclusions: It seemed like the internal conflict was real, so who won in the brawl between Dwayne and Vin? Curious readers immediately turned to major newspapers: The identity of the mysterious guest was about to be revealed!
Renly Hall.
Boom! It really was Renly Hall! Boom! Although there had been rumors during St. Louis, nobody had high hopes for Renly Hall. Setting aside factors like recognition and popularity, the twenty-year-old Renly Hall looked exceedingly youthful, and his physique had no comparison to Dwayne's.
Although Paul Walker also had a well-proportioned body, people weren't concerned about that now. Since Renly was replacing Dwayne, naturally, people compared the two.
Even more importantly, Universal Studios issued an official statement emphasizing the authenticity of Renly's addition to the cast. But that wasn't the focus; the real focus was within the statement where Universal granted Renly the treatment of the third lead!
On the poster attached to the announcement, Renly outshone actors like Jordana Brewster, Gal Gadot, Tyrese Gibson, closely following the two solid lead actors. Without a doubt, he occupied the position of the third lead.
This was the real heavyweight news!
A newcomer, someone who had only been in the public eye for less than four months. If he was just taking on the lead role in a commercial blockbuster, that wouldn't be surprising. Chris Hemsworth's news about playing Thor didn't cause much of a stir initially, after all, it was necessary to wait for the film's release to evaluate the performance. But this newcomer had first replaced Dwayne Johnson's position, then bypassed the significant supporting roles from the previous installments, seizing a dominant position. This was nothing short of exhilarating.
Furthermore, Renly Hall was not a complete newcomer.