Laila's attitude was excellent, and the resentment in the hearts of the actors dissipated. The young children were indifferent, feeling excited to be able to meet Laila.
"I won't say much else, I just want to tell you all one thing!" Laila's ice-blue eyes, reflecting the sunlight and the glass of wine, had an almost translucent gleam, like two of the most beautiful ice-blue diamonds. "I attach great importance to this movie, and both in filming and promotion, we will use the best resources from the company. I'm confident that we can turn it into a shining gem in the history of cinema. Will you join me in this?"
"Yes!" The young children were stirred with enthusiasm, raising their hands to join her team.
The older actors would also willingly cooperate with Laila. In the film industry today, who didn't know that working with her was like climbing a ladder straight to the mountaintop? The way Joseph, the previous director, readily gave up the film was unlikely to be repeated.
The harmonious atmosphere within the cast and crew was unaware that, upon hearing that Laila had taken over as the director of "Harry Potter," Joseph had started to doubt his own decision. Everyone knew that her eye for films was unparalleled. If even she believed that the movie was worth making, was he sacrificing too much for the sake of money and conditions by declining it?
However, he quickly dismissed this thought. In his opinion, a children's storybook adaptation would, in essence, be a children's movie, much like Snow White or Cinderella. Even if it wasn't an animated film, it would only attract children to the theaters.
But was the spending power of children and adults comparable? Look at his upcoming film, "Catwoman," which had a mature target audience and a fanbase. No matter how he looked at it, it had more potential for higher box office earnings compared to some children's film. Perhaps Laila could turn "Harry Potter" into a $300 million box office success, but what did that matter? With his abilities and a minimum investment of $150 million, he was confident he could turn "Catwoman" into the next Superman or Batman!
Laila had no idea how Joseph viewed her decision to become the director, but even if she did, she would probably just mock him. Someone who couldn't even judge a script properly, might not be able to create anything good even if he did take on the movie. Now, she was glad he had left; otherwise, if he had made the movie, it would probably have been a financial loss.
Back in the UK, Laila officially joined the film crew to start shooting, while in the United States, her three announcements had generated quite a buzz. Perhaps this could be described as, "When the queen is away, rumors about her are everywhere."
However, not everyone held a positive view of her decisions, mainly because the choices she made were somewhat controversial.
Regarding the special effects company, it was not necessary to mention it. Who didn't know she was wealthy? Wealthy people had no pressure to lose some money. The media and fans were more concerned about the fact that she was going to make an "Iron Man" film.
This superhero was similar to Batman, being a hero with no superpowers. However, compared to front-line heroes like Batman, Iron Man was considered a second-tier hero, less popular among fans, and less well-known, with many people not even aware of his existence.
Why did Laila choose him, and why did she say her recent experiences led her to this decision? Many Marvel superhero fans didn't understand what kind of adaptation she intended to make.
Moreover, Iron Man's personality and background were unique among the superheroes. He was extremely wealthy, a well-known playboy, had a sharp tongue, and lived a somewhat unconventional life. He was quite different from the conventional image of a righteous hero.
Fans and comic enthusiasts worried that portraying such a peculiar superhero might result in Laila's first film failure.
However, some people stood up and pointed to her film "Pirates of the Caribbean," saying, "Take a look at Captain Jack Sparrow; is he a typical portrayal of a pirate?" This argument made many who found Iron Man's character peculiar reconsider their views. Compared to Captain Jack, Iron Man didn't seem as hard to accept any more.
As for Laila taking on the role of director for "Harry Potter," that also surprised many. They assumed she would find another director to take her place because if she wanted to direct it herself, she wouldn't have chosen Joseph in the first place, right? If she didn't want to direct it, would she be able to make the film good?
Many film critics expressed their views, suggesting that it was unavoidable for her to make this choice. A new director suddenly taking on a multi-million-dollar movie was almost impossible. Laila would need an experienced director. For the sake of reputation, she should find a better director than Joseph.
However, those directors probably wouldn't be willing to take on a film that not even a second-tier director wanted to make. As a result, if Laila found someone and was rejected, it would seriously damage the future box office of the film. So, it was most suitable for her to direct it herself.
One can imagine how frustrated Laila felt when reading these comments. She genuinely wanted to use the opportunity to make a good movie to cultivate more talent within her company and show potential unsigned talents the strength of her company. But somehow, it seemed like she was reluctant to direct "Harry Potter."
As more and more similar reports surfaced, Laila decided that she had to make this film the best it could be. She was determined to prove to those who were making various comments that "Little Harry" would dominate the box office upon its release!
While she had this intention, she was also genuinely not very eager to direct "Harry Potter." For television and film, children and animals were the most challenging to work with. She had never been good with kids, dating back to her previous life, and she had a strong inclination to avoid troublemaker children.
"Harry Potter" was a story about a group of children, and as soon as she arrived at the shooting location, she was greeted by a group of kids running around happily. The only relief for her was that these kids seemed to be quite afraid of her. Whenever she appeared, they would dutifully act as if they were studying their lines.
Well, being feared was better than being bullied. In reluctant acceptance, Laila continued with this development.
"Ha-ha-ha!" A burst of laughter erupted in front of the camera.
"Cut!" Laila called a halt, holding her head and feeling a headache coming on. How many times had this happened? Seven times or eight times? Was this scene really that funny? After laughing so many times, why was she still breaking into laughter?
"Daniel, Emma, finish your laughter and continue; if you keep laughing like this, we might not finish this scene before dinner."
"Sorry, Director Laila," Daniel, who played Harry Potter, and Emma, who played Hermione, stuck out their tongues and apologized again.
They didn't want to, but they couldn't help but find it amusing.