Two women were leisurely enjoying a rare afternoon tea in the office, all while marveling at Wayne's decision-making.
Of course, in Sierra's view, part of it came down to luck. She knew Wayne had sold *Gifted* due to the lack of funds needed to acquire Marvel.
But as the saying goes, luck is also a part of strength.
And often, that part is key to success.
At the moment, Wayne had no idea that his two key subordinates were showering him with compliments. He was busy dealing with Nicole Kidman, who had fully unleashed her wild side since arriving here, free from the paparazzi and the need to appear pitiful or gain sympathy.
You had to admit, Nicole Kidman at this time was simply radiant.
She had both looks and a great figure, and no need to mention her skills. Among all the women Wayne had been intimately involved with, only Charlize Theron could slightly surpass her.
Unfortunately, her role wrapped up in just two days.
While she didn't have an Oscar campaign like Julia Roberts, her divorce case was reaching a critical stage, so after staying an extra two days, she flew back to America.
This left Wayne with an unusual sense of unfulfilled regret.
"Come on, once that b***h is divorced, you'll have all the time in the world to f*** her," Hannah snarked, before pulling out a thick script and slamming it onto the small round table next to him, nearly spilling his coffee.
Wayne immediately got annoyed.
A mere assistant dared to act so brashly in front of him? He certainly couldn't let that slide.
So, after about three hours of discipline, Wayne made sure Hannah was once again obedient. Only then did he pick up the scripts for the first two *Resident Evil* films sent over by Susan and began flipping through them.
Although the main storyline still followed the plot of the previously successful movie adaptation, there were quite a few differences in this version due to having a different screenwriter.
In Nolan's script, Ada Wong, the mysterious Asian character, appeared right from the first film. She replaced Rain and infiltrated the mercenary team trying to shut down the Red Queen.
Her mission was to ensure the Red Queen was successfully disabled and obtain the T-virus.
So, at the end of the first film, unlike Rain, she didn't get eaten by zombies. Instead, after getting separated from Alice and the others, she revealed her hidden abilities, effortlessly escaping the swarm of zombies through another exit from the Hive.
This served as a setup, hinting that the virus outbreak was more than just an accident.
As for the second film, it was more similar to the original version. Captured Alice gains superpowers through experimentation and, after the Raccoon City outbreak, escapes the lab, meets Jill Valentine, and they team up to escape the city before it's destroyed by a nuclear bomb.
However, Nolan clearly wasn't a fan of comedic elements. Without him even having to say a word, the comedic Black character from the second film was already cut, giving the entire movie a dark, heavy, and suspenseful tone. It almost had the same vibe as *The Dark Knight Trilogy*.
Whether this style would work for *Resident Evil*, Wayne couldn't be sure, even with his foresight.
But Nolan's signature style had always been present throughout his films and had consistently succeeded. There was no reason *Resident Evil* couldn't work too.
In Wayne's opinion, this was how *Resident Evil* was meant to feel—more authentic.
Glancing at the bedside clock, he saw it was just after 8 p.m. in California. He got out of bed and called Susan.
"Hey, Wayne?"
"Yeah, it's me. I read through the script you faxed over today. No issues," Wayne said while sipping his now cold coffee.
With his assistant constantly slacking off and just thinking about being f***ed, Wayne had to make do.
"For the key roles, Charlize Theron is still set for Alice as the lead."
"As for Ada Wong, the second female lead in the first film, I've decided to cast Zhang Ziyi, Mike's new client. She's the second female lead in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, which is currently a box office hit. I've already spoken with her."
"What about the male lead, Matt Addison? Have you got anyone in mind?" Susan asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Wayne had already thought this through.
"*Resident Evil* is a female-driven film. Charlize Theron's Alice is undoubtedly the star. If we cast a male lead who's too famous, it could overshadow her. So, let's go with Ben Stiller."
*Cough, cough!*
Susan, who was also sipping coffee on the other end, almost choked on it.
"Ben Stiller?! Are you sure?!"
It took a while for Susan to recover, and she couldn't help but ask.
For audiences across the ocean, Ben Stiller might be best known for *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*, which was an excellent movie.
But for Hollywood insiders like Susan, things were different.
Before 1998, despite having been in the industry for over a decade, Ben Stiller's most notable role was a supporting part in the 1996 comedy *The Cable Guy*, starring Jim Carrey.
However, after *There's Something About Mary* was released in 1998, everything changed.
The romantic comedy, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz, became an unexpected hit, grossing $170 million in North America and $360 million worldwide.
This catapulted Ben Stiller to fame, much like Wayne after *Admission*, making him one of Hollywood's hot second-tier stars.
Though his career briefly slowed without other standout roles, this year's *Meet the Parents* grossed a stunning $330 million worldwide, further boosting his fame and status, edging him toward the top tier of Hollywood actors.
Casting Ben Stiller as Matt Addison? Are we sure this isn't too big a name, overshadowing the lead? And with his current fame, his fee wouldn't be less than $10 million!
"I'm sure," Wayne replied nonchalantly.
"I was actually considering Nicolas Cage."
"..."
(End of Chapter)