At Warner Studios, Martin, draped in a long cloak, entered the Dark Knight Studio with his companion, Thomas.
Thomas had already spoken with the crew in advance. They were here for an audition.
A friendly assistant from the crew approached them and politely said, "Please be patient. I'll let you know when the audition is about to begin."
Martin kept quiet, his head slightly lowered. But Thomas replied with a simple, "Thank you."
As the door closed behind the assistant, Martin suddenly lifted his head and grinned at Thomas.
Thomas felt a sudden unease and swiftly turned away, facing his back to Martin.
These past few nights, Thomas had been plagued by unsettling nightmares. In them, a monstrous figure with a white face and a menacing grin always had a large bomb under him. The bomb would explode, sending Thomas soaring into the sky, unable to land until he awoke in terror.
Bruce stood nearby, holding Martin's cell phone against the wall. Suddenly, a text message alert sounded. Bruce checked the message and said to Martin, "Robert is ready."
Martin chuckled, "My high priest is commencing the blessing ceremony again."
Thomas was puzzled, gazing at Bruce in surprise. Bruce shook his head, not providing further explanation. Some things were best kept secret, and with Martin's demeanor, it was wise not to fuel any notions of cult leadership.
In another part of the audition room, several producers and the director, Nolan, gathered together.
Adrien Brody, an Oscar winner, had just finished his makeup audition.
While his acting skills were decent, Nolan had a nagging feeling that something essential was missing in his performance.
Emma Thomas thanked Adrien, saying, "Thank you for your excellent performance. We'll notify you of the audition results soon."
Adrien bid his farewell and left the room.
Nolan exchanged glances with Charles Rowan and Orlin. The latter commented, "I can't quite put my finger on it. Similar to Josh Brolin before, there's a lack of that unrestrained and desperate energy."
Charles Rowan added, "There's a certain vital intensity missing."
Emma Thomas interjected, "They didn't prepare adequately in the early stages, and their performances tend to be ordinary during auditions."
Louise, sitting in the back, kept her opinions to herself, aware of the significant impact on these individuals' psychology.
Emma Thomas decided, "Let's call Martin Davis."
An assistant promptly conveyed the message.
Soon after, the audition room's door swung open, revealing a man with a strikingly unusual appearance and demeanor.
As he turned to face the producers and director, Nolan's heart skipped a beat. The photographer, ready with the camera, snapped a photo.
Martin tilted his head forward, revealing a snow-white face with bright red scarred lips that seemed to stretch to his ears, forming a wild grin.
He deliberately pushed one corner of his mouth with his tongue, accentuating the scars on his face created by makeup, intensifying his eerie smile.
Nolan was captivated by the man in front of him. He couldn't see Martin Davis anymore; all he saw was the character he desired.
Even without a single line of dialogue, Martin conveyed everything through his eyes, movements, smiles, and demeanor.
Suddenly, Martin opened his coat, revealing a figurine. He placed his finger on the clown's mouth.
"Gentlemen, you're wealthy," he taunted. He pulled up his tattered jacket, revealing a device. "I've planted a bomb here, ready to cause a little chaos. See this figurine in my hand? A press, and it all goes boom."
Martin cackled madly, bizarre and audacious. "Disrupt the order, and you'll find fairness. Chaos has its advantages!"
He continued, "Now, I'll count to ten. If someone doesn't strip, there'll be no fairness."
Nolan finally spoke, "That's enough."
Martin halted his countdown at eight, grinning eerily. "My apologies, I got carried away with the role."
Nolan instructed, "Step out and wait."
Martin obeyed without a word and stumbled out of the audition room.
Orlin inquired, "What's that in your hand?"
Martin tossed it to him, replying with a smirk, "It's the key to chaos. Press its mouth, and it'll explode."
Orlin hesitated as he reached for the clown's carved mouth. He couldn't discern if Martin was serious or not.
He stared at the figurine, a lifelike representation of Martin's Joker, finely crafted like a work of art.
Martin limped out of the audition room, the door closing behind him.
Unable to contain his excitement, Nolan exclaimed, "That's the Joker I want! He's incredible, unpredictable, and incredibly frightening!"
Emma Thomas agreed, "I recommend choosing Martin to play the Joker. He outperformed the other candidates."
Charles Rowan reviewed the audition video and concurred, "My choice is Martin Davis."
Louise raised her hand with a magazine that read "Martin Davis."
The decision was clear. Martin Davis had left a lasting impression as the Joker.
Orlin wrestled with the decision to press the clown statue. The sinister and chaotic face etched into the statue haunted his thoughts, making him hesitant to activate it.
Louise prompted him, "Who's your pick?"
Orlin pointed at the statue, finally making his choice, "I choose him."
Alan Horn, who had been quiet throughout, nodded in agreement, "I agree."
With unanimous consent from the higher-ups, Charles Rowan decisively announced, "I'm revealing the results of the audition now. Martin Davis has passed and secured the role of the clown."
He looked around, "Any questions?"
Orlin spoke up, raising the clown statue, "Look at this. It's remarkably similar to the clown we just saw. Can it be turned into merchandise?"
Nolan, a passionate cinephile, assessed, "The craftsmanship is impressive."
Charles Rowan agreed, "It seems like this can serve purposes beyond mere ornamentation."
The others might not be aware, but Louise was well-informed, "Martin's clown statue is not uncommon in Hollywood. Many who've worked with him have received similar souvenirs. It's almost a tradition in the industry."
Orlin saw the commercial potential and suggested, "Let's act fast, negotiate with Martin, and include a clause in actors' contracts to halt gift-giving. Then, explore developing it as a movie tie-in."
He emphasized, "This is distinct from DC Comics' clown image, so there's no infringement. Louise, do you know who the sculptor is?"
Louise revealed, "It's Lily Carter, Martin Davis's neighbor and currently a temporary worker in the props team."
Orlin proposed, "Transfer her to the creative team and involve her and her agent in negotiations."
Charles Rowan reached for the clown statue, but Orlin abruptly shielded it with his legs and feet.
"Don't touch the head of the statue," Orlin cautioned, recalling Martin's malevolent presence, "If it explodes, we're in deep trouble."
Charles Rowan inspected the clown statue, signed it, and handed it to Louise, "As for this, we can brainstorm targeted marketing strategies. Perhaps it could become a popular product."
Louise added, "High-end handmade custom merchandise, akin to the high-end handmade peripherals of Darth Vader, could be a hit."
Charles Rowan remarked, "The success depends on the film's impact and the character."
The Nolans were confident in the project's potential.
After more discussion, Charles Rowan declared, "I'll notify Martin Davis and his agent."
Following today's auditions, Nolan had a change of heart, exclaiming, "Regardless of the terms, I want Martin Davis!"
Charles Rowan pondered, "Considering his four films with over $100 million in North American box office earnings, his salary should be no less than $13 million."
Orlin voiced the realities of excessive initial investment, emphasizing the need to avoid escalating production budgets.
Nolan warned, "To achieve the desired effect, we can't cut corners in shooting and post-production."
Alan Horn suggested, "Why not offer a portion of the early remuneration with a share of the backend to mitigate early investment risks?"
Charles Rowan saw the merit in this approach but recognized the potential for investors to suffer later income losses.
Yet Martin Davis's box office appeal and the eagerness of employers to secure star actors at minimum wages complicated the situation.
The brief deliberation ended, concluding all the auditions for the day. Charles Rowan exited the audition room first and arranged for Martin and Thomas to be informed of Martin's successful audition for the Joker role.
In the dressing room, Martin had already removed his makeup. Upon hearing the good news from Thomas, he laughed, "Did you see it? As long as the audition is fair and just, we emerge victorious!" Bruce couldn't help but acknowledge the rigor of the audition process.
Thomas chimed in, "If only every audition could be as fair and just in the future."
With a grin, Martin said, "Now it's your turn to secure fair and just treatment for me."
Thomas assured, "Leave it to me."
The three of them exited the dressing room and were met by Louise in the studio's front hall.
After a visit to a nearby ice cream parlor, Louise began discussing the clown statue in detail.
Martin wasn't surprised, as he had always intended to use sculptures as props. The next steps involved ironing out the specifics of their cooperation with the studio and Warner Bros. for this exciting project.