In the office of Helen-Herman at the Angel Agency.
Matthew sat in front of the desk, seriously flipping through the script Sean-Daniel had sent over yesterday afternoon. The script wasn't thick, just over a hundred pages. As a straightforward commercial film script, with his current reading level, understanding it was a breeze.
Although it was a remake, what Sean-Daniel said was true. The crew had been polishing the script since mid-March, having the framework and setting by then. Now, at the end of May, they finally produced the first draft. For Hollywood's industrial assembly line model, this efficiency was low.
According to Helen-Herman, the slow progress wasn't due to the crew's lack of effort but because Sean-Daniel insisted on refining the script to better suit Matthew's acting style.
Sean-Daniel's reason for doing so was simple. In May, Disney held several screenings for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which had wide circulation within the industry and received rave reviews, especially for the two main actors, Johnny Depp and Matthew. Their performances in a commercial movie were praised as nearly perfect.
Even Disney had already scheduled a sequel, waiting for the explosive box office of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" to announce the news.
Matthew understood Sean-Daniel's approach, especially after continuously gaining popularity with Keira Knightley. That's how Hollywood works; you leverage my popularity, I leverage yours. As long as both can become famous and make money, these are minor details.
Helen-Herman sat in her office chair, also reviewing another script. She had briefly gone through it the previous night, but now she was examining it more closely.
Selecting and fighting for roles for her actors was a fundamental ability of an entertainment agent.
Matthew wasn't rushing through the script. Whenever he came across a part he liked, he would visualize the scene in his mind. It took nearly a morning to go through two-thirds of the script, which was relatively sparse in text.
Frankly, he didn't have a real concept or ability to judge the script's quality.
His past film roles could be divided into two categories.
One was as a temporary and ordinary actor, without any fame or capital, taking any opportunity to appear in films, hoping to get recognized while earning some living expenses.
At that stage, it wasn't him choosing the crews and scripts but the other way around.
Later, as he gained fame, especially after going to great lengths to secure the role of Will Turner in "Pirates of the Caribbean," it had nothing to do with script selection skills but was entirely cheating.
Similarly, not immediately rejecting Sean-Daniel and Zack Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead" was because of Zack Snyder's once glorious reputation.
A newcomer director transitioning from the advertising world to the film industry, who later became a top commercial film director, his first work was certainly not a flop.
This was Matthew's direct judgment of scripts and projects.
After spending years in Hollywood, he knew that a movie's success depended on many factors, not just the script. The project's initiator, producer, and director were far more critical than the script. Mediocre scripts could turn into blockbuster hits under talented producers and directors, while brilliant scripts could end up as flops. There were too many such examples in Hollywood's history.
Matthew reviewed the script for "Dawn of the Dead," ensuring it met Hollywood's standard industrial production standards, and did not ponder whether it was good or bad. Instead, he listed the project's advantages in his mind.
The initiators and producers of "Dawn of the Dead" were Sean-Daniel and Zack Snyder, with Universal Pictures as the production and distribution company...
As during his first encounter, Matthew's judgment was straightforward: it was a very reliable combination.
Having determined this, considering the script details later wasn't too late.
The script's opening sentence left a deep impression on Matthew: "Hell's rooms are full, hence, death climbed into the human world..."
The male protagonist, depicted as a robust SWAT member, survives a sudden outbreak of a plague with his formidable skills, rescuing a young and beautiful female lead along the way, and then arriving at a shopping center, the movie's main setting.
The male lead had plenty of action scenes. His physique, appearance, and skills were basically modeled after Matthew, such as the SWAT member being an avid fan of free fighting, precisely, the male lead could handle a not too large number of zombies.
From Matthew's perspective, the male lead's main selling points were coolness and combat skills, with an increase in one aspect compared to his past roles: the level of gore.
According to Zack Snyder's note in the script, it aimed to let the audience enjoy the thrill of the male lead slaughtering zombies!
Besides, there was a romantic subplot between the male and female leads, or more appropriately, the first female supporting character, with a significant scale. After all, it was going to be an R-rated movie, so there was no need to be too cautious with explicit scenes.
It's hard to say about the final movie, but from the script, it indeed suited his acting style well. And after playing ancient action roles consecutively, a modern role could help broaden his range.
While still limited to action films, stepping out of the relatively narrow category of period pieces, the development space for action films was broad enough for him at this point.
If this movie succeeded, he could smoothly transition to modern action roles, temporarily leaving the genre of period action films.
Thinking this, Matthew closed the script and placed it on Helen-Herman's desk. Helen-Herman looked up at Matthew, also closing her script and placing it on the desk.
Adjusting her glasses, she asked, "Any thoughts?"
Matthew didn't hide his opinion, saying directly, "I think we can take it."
Helen-Herman didn't immediately respond, tapping her chair armrest lightly, as if pondering.
"And you?" Matthew asked, "What do you think, Helen?"
Helen-Herman stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, and said, "The role suits you indeed. Sean didn't break his promise. The male lead is almost modeled after you. As long as the director has half the skill of Gore Verbinski, I have no doubt you can make this role shine."
Matthew knew she hadn't finished speaking and continued to listen.
"We've already analyzed the project's strengths and weaknesses for you last time," Helen-Herman crossed her arms and said, "I think it's risky, but worth taking."
She sat back down, "There's no risk-free movie in Hollywood."
Matthew held the same view; wanting to star in movies without taking risks was unrealistic. Instead, one could forever play minor roles without ever being blamed for a film's failure.
Helen-Herman continued, "Sean chose a suitable shooting schedule, from mid-August to September. If 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is successful, your fame will soar. Taking on a new project at that time will benefit both you and the movie!"
Matthew nodded, no longer hesitant, and said, "You can contact Sean."
Negotiations were, of course, the agent's job.
However, Helen-Herman waved her hand, "Now is not the right time. We must wait for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to release before starting formal negotiations."
Matthew understood that this would maximize his interests
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