689 An Unexpected Visitor

It wasn't until three days later that Nolan gave Jiang Chen a reply.

"I made my decision! Jonathan and I both felt the novel is spectacular, and he's already begun adapting the script. It's incredible that an unknown author could actually write such an amazing piece!"

Jonathan was Christopher's younger brother, but he also a well-known Hollywood screenwriter. The movie "Momento" directed by Christopher was based on the short story "Memento Mori," written by Jonathan. In 2002, Jonathan also won the 74th Academy Awards best original screenwriter due to the movie. The adaptations of the script and his brother's film had a common denominator.

Dark themes!

Incredibly dark and depressing themes!

Whether it was Dark Knight or Interstellar, dark themes ran through the films. It was because of the impact on viewers' minds that drew viewers into the world they created.

While Jiang Chen was surprised by the contrasting attitude Nolan had for Time Curtain, he didn't probe further. Time Curtain was on his shortlist to begin with, and the fact that it was a Han work also made him pleased.

At the same time, Virtual Image began to create VR scenes for Kepler 22b, Borderlands, and Aliens. Filming would be done in a VR environment and not the traditional "green screen" film set in which actors had to use their imaginations.

Hans Zimmer was responsible for the soundtrack. He was the film score composer behind the masterpiece soundtracks of Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception, and other well-known masterpieces. It would be his sixth collaboration with Nolan.

While the cast hadn't been determined, the screenwriter, director, and soundtrack would use the original team from Interstellar.

According to the contract signed between Warner Brothers and Future Technology, the film would be co-funded by both parties. It was expected that the adaptation of the script would be completed in mid-December, while filming would begin after Christmas.

In the face of journalists and fanatical fans, Nolan made an announcement in front of the camera.

"You probably haven't heard of the novel Time Curtain, but that's not relevant. You must've heard about me and my brother's names. Believe me, I won't let you down. I can't disclose the details of the film, but one thing I can tell you is that Virtual Image Company will create a universe for our movie!"

The cheers of the crowd displayed the people's enthusiasm.

For a joint investment blockbuster with Warner Brothers, Jiang Chen himself was full of expectations!

…

Facts proved that entertainment news would always have more market than serious news.

Before Christmas, the internet hotly debated which movie stars would star in Time Curtain. It got to the point that news of Future Heavy Industrial world's first supercomputer graphene chip outperforming Intel, and Qualcomm and other well-known international chip makers was ignored by the public.

Perhaps the media and public were already accustomed to incredible outcomes from Future Group so it was no surprise they were leading the graphene chip race. Production quietly started, with the first batch of 100 thousand ultra-chips fitted onto the shipping vessel headed for the port of Wanghai.

It wasn't until then that the Western media finally realized.

The chip embargo that the UA imposed on Hua was thus silently broken.

However, this infuriated Intel. When the UA Department of Commerce announced the embargo, Kozic expressed doubts that the embargo was simply meaningless; a unilateral embargo would only force Hua to independently develop ultra-chips as well as force Intel to lose Hua Supercomputer Center orders.

And his concerns had become a reality.

The Dragon Cavalry X1 ultra-chip not only broke the UA embargo but also ended the country's long-term dependence on the UA ultra-chip. At the same time, Future Heavy Industrial providing Godson Technology with the lix architecture would also completely change the bipolar pattern of the processor market dominated by x86, ARM architecture.

In addition, according to rumors, after the Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou announced the operation efficiency of Tianhe No.2 after the "change core," the Dragon Calgary X1 immediately drew the attention of Switzerland. Currently, Future Heavy Industrial was negotiating with the Swiss National Supercomputer Center (CSCS) to provide orders for its creation of the fastest supercomputer center in Europe.

Future Heavy Industrial had begun to seize Intel's market share in Europe!

Kozic, who just received the graphene technology patent license, began to feel uneasy again. If Intel didn't work hard, it was likely to face the same outcome as Kodak.

A strong sense of urgency had given birth to newer technologies. In mid-December, Intel held a press conference announcing the first graphene chips based on X86-derived architecture would be used in PCs, smartphones, tablets, and other areas. The company also promised to investors that it would invest at least 1.5 billion USD in research and development of graphene chips by 2018.

On the third day after Intel held its press conference, Qualcomm, AMD, NVIDIA, and other companies also held press conferences to publicize their research achievements on graphene chips.

News commenters joked that these press briefings were simply unannounced shareholder meetings; they weren't meant to promote the product but to save the shaky prices.

And that was indeed true.

When investors saw the companies they invested in weren't letting research go down the drain, their mood began to stabilize as they stopped dumping stocks. Future Heavy Industrial's silence allowed investment expectations to rise and rising stock prices finally made the semiconductor chip makers relieved.

Thank God, at least they could enjoy Christmas happily.

Christmas was coming, and Coro Island was filled with the holiday spirit.

Christmas trees stood in front of shops, and rattans and ribbons hung around houses as decorations. There were girls in short skirts everywhere on the streets.

Because of its history as a British colony, Christmas was an important holiday only second to the Lunar New Year on this island. It was one of the statutory holidays for Xin.

However, due to the weather, it was impossible to see an authentic Santa Claus on the island. If someone was wearing a big red jacket, he would certainly get heat stroke.

On Coro Island, where every season is summer, snow was just an unrealistic fantasy.

Right now, at the mansion on the southernmost tip of the island, it was filled with the same festive spirit. With the help of drones, Ayesha, wearing just a short Christmas skirt, was busy decorating every corner of the house.

Compared to the holiday itself, she enjoyed "dressing up" the house more. Jiang Chen's joy was watching her change into the short skirt and tank top.

"No… Uh, wait till I finish decorating the house?"

Ayesha held onto the ladder while she buried her red face into the soft decorations hung on the Christmas tree. She gently bit her lips while she begged with a quiet voice.

But she didn't realize her gentle voice didn't sound sincere at all.

At least in Jiang Chen's eyes.

"I'll help you in a bit."

"No..."

Ayesha put the decorations on the top of the ladder and closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled with her heartbeat. Looking at her timid expression, Jiang Chen began to make his move with a smirk.

But just as he was about to –

Dingdong.

The sound of a bell came from the living room.

"Someone's here."

Ayesha blushed, jumped off the ladder, and ran to the bedroom.

She'd would rather kill herself than allow Natasha or Xia Shiyu to see her clothes.

Seeing as there was a guest, Jiang Chen had to stop and walk downstairs.

But just as he was passing by the window, he saw someone he didn't expect through the window.

Hermione… Emma Watson?