Chapter 646

California, this is the land of dreams, the sun is clear, the sea is blue, the sky is vast. As long as you have witnessed everything in front of you, you will understand the scene of the song "California gurls" and the infinite charm of this land.

It can be said that California is not famous because of Hollywood, but conversely, Hollywood flourishes because of California.

Gin, orange juice, coconut, tall palm; Sunshine, beach, hot pants, wheat skin; Wild, passionate, free, carnival. Who can refuse such a paradise?

"Do you see potential competitors?" Paul yelled in Raleigh's ear. In the noisy environment, the volume was just right. Only the two of them could hear it. Everyone else was immersed in the world of music.

Langley didn't understand the meaning of this sentence and cast a suspicious eye. Paul then explained, "competing with you for the same role." After a pause, Paul continued, "there are so many actors on this occasion, from the first line to the third line. It's the best occasion to confuse reporters. They don't know what transactions and negotiations are going on here; But it's also the best occasion for the final audition. I mean, if they really want to keep it a secret. Of course, it's also possible that it's just because the big guys want to drink

What Paul didn't say is that it's also the best place for unspoken rules. In such a grand party, at least three or four hundred people attended. Two people suddenly disappeared for half an hour, and no one would notice. In the whole villa, suitable for two people "private dialogue" place countless, including the woods beside.

But Paul didn't say it, but Langley understood.

The line of sight swept a circle, eyes slightly narrowed, fell in a small corner. But it wasn't the man who was glowing, it was because he was surrounded by four or five people, a small group of them chatting. Moreover, the man was wearing beach pants and a T-shirt, and a light brown straw hat, which stood out in a bronze body.

Brad Pitt.

Brad, 48, is in the prime of his career. Starting from the "Tongtian tower" in 2006, following the "burn after reading", "Benjamin Button miracle", "shameless bastard", as well as the "penalty gold" and "tree of life" in this year's award season, Brad is in full bloom and is running to the Oscars in a sprint manner.

Everyone is sighing about Leonardo DiCaprio's little golden man chase. It's touching, but Brad is no less than that.

In particular, the year before last year's "Benjamin Barton wonder", which can be called the Oscar love letter tailor-made by David finch for Brad, almost pinned the weight of the whole work on Brad. Brad naturally became the most popular. As a result, in the early stage of the award season, he was dominated by Mickey Locke, who made a comeback with "wrestling king", Then, in the sprint stage, Sean Penn of "milk" repeatedly overtook him. Finally, he and Mickey, two brothers, watched Sean win the second Oscar.

It is precisely because of his wholehearted competition for the little golden man that Brad's number of commercial films has declined rapidly in recent years.

Although Brad has never been such a box office superstar as Tom Cruise and Will Smith, the only one whose box office exceeded 200 million in North America in his whole career was the "zombie World War" in 2013, and he also experienced a tragic defeat like "Troy", he has participated in a lot of commercial works. This is much better than his good friend George Clooney.

In addition to the "eleven Arhats" series, the North American box office of "operation Smith", "the wonder of Benjamin Button" and "shameless bastard" has exceeded 100 million, and it is a small profit relative to the cost.

Today, Brad appears at Ben Affleck's private party. Is it just a party? Is it just a coincidence? Or for the audition for tomorrow's edge?

Langley will not forget that Brad is the first choice of Doug Riemann, the director of "tomorrow's edge" in his last life. They have cooperated with "operation Smith" before; Moreover, in recent years, the effect of "tomorrow's edge" project promotion is quite obvious. Although there is no earthshaking essential change, the frequency and content of auditions are indeed improving. Is that Brad's credit?

Brad just needs to show his interest, and Warner Bros is happy to push the project.

"Jesus." After he saw the target, Paul could not help but cry out in a low voice. Although there were few words, the meaning was clear. Only when there was a comparison could there be a gap. If Brad Pitt and van diesel were put together, they would stand high“ Is he your competitor? Or who are you auditioning for today? "

Brad, like Tom, is now a part-time producer. They have the right to decide every part of the production team for almost every work they participate in. Relatively speaking, Tom focuses on commercial films, so the whole model follows his routine; Brad is more inclined to artistic film, respect for the creative ideas of the director and screenwriter is the most important premise, the interference is relatively less.

"Well, if I'm not wrong, the competitor." As soon as Langley's voice fell, he could hear Paul gasping, which made Langley smile. "Paul, I don't think this is the first time you've seen Brad." There is no need to make such a fuss.

Paul didn't mind. He chuckled twice. "I just sigh that when considering actors in super projects, they always choose Brad. Today's audition is definitely a tough battle. "

Paul's tone is not doubt, just worry, hidden in the confidence or reveal a hint of edge, which makes blue Li's eyebrow can't help but gently raised, "listen to your tone, it seems that I don't think I will lose?" Not only no tension, but also leisure, here slowly chat.

Paul didn't notice Langley's complacency, but shook his head firmly. "No, if I made the decision, I would definitely choose you." He shrugged and said, of course, "you're a much better actor than Brad. What's more, the current film market needs more fresh blood. "

Lan Li chuckled and said, "then I'll wait for the day when you are in power." The joke made Paul burst into laughter.

Paul hesitated and wasn't sure whether he should follow up, but he didn't have time to think of a reason. However, his body had already made an action, followed closely, and walked side by side with him. "Are we going to talk to Brad now?" Is this the rhythm of Wang Jian Wang?

"No, we used to talk to the man standing next to Brad." The bald man standing next to Brad is the most important reason why he thinks Brad is a competitor.

Jeff robinov, a big bald man with a kind smile and a big body, has the typical characteristics of Eastern European people. However, his whole posture and manner are somewhat out of place. It seems that his suit makes him feel uncomfortable. From the perspective of appearance, he is like an uncle in a private supermarket on the street corner. Even with a smile on his face, he still brings a sense of visual oppression. It seems that he is a role whose body strength exceeds brain wisdom.

But in fact, he is the real power of Warner Bros. he is the top director of the film department, and above that is CEO Barry Meyer. Contrary to his appearance and style, Jeff is an academic who comes from film industry. He is neither a producer nor a director. He comes from economics and finance, but he is a fanatical film lover. This has become a bridge between him and film practitioners.

As an actor, Ben Affleck's career is in a mess, but as a director, it is in a state of turmoil. The hero behind this is Jeff.

At the beginning, Jeff backed ben to shoot "city robber". Later, the budget overrun and Warner Brothers refused to increase the cost. It was Jeff who gave Ben a million dollars to save his life that started Ben's directing career; Later, when "fleeing from Teheran", Warner Bros. executives almost collectively opposed to handing over the project to Ben. It was Jeff who turned the tide and left the project in Ben's hands. As a result, it became the best picture Oscar winner of "escape from Tehran".

If we say that before Jeff supported Ben, Ben had been in the industry for more than ten years and had a good foundation; So the rise of Christopher Nolan is definitely due to Jeff.

After shooting "memory fragments", Christopher has won a lot of praise in the industry, but after all, he is just a little director who has shot two works. He has no qualifications, no contacts and no more self proof.

However, Jeff resisted the great pressure and not only gave the trilogy "Batman biography" to Christopher, who was not well-known at that time; In addition, he also gave Christopher an agreement on five works, and agreed that in addition to Batman's trilogy, the other two works would give Christopher the freedom to create the scripts and projects he wanted to shoot. Even if the projects were ridiculous and inconceivable, Jeff would let Christopher have the decision and control over the works——

Jeff kept his promise. As a result, "fatal magic" and "Inception" were born.

By the way, when Ang Lee was still a little director of unknown origin, Jeff was optimistic about his prospects. He hoped to submit several proposals to Ang Lee. Unfortunately, at that time, Warner Brothers still rejected Chinese American directors so seriously that they missed "Brokeback Mountain" and "the fantasy drifting of the youth school".

It's no exaggeration to say that Jeff's unique vision and keen sense of smell are the key to Warner Brothers' dominance after the millennium.

Maybe Brad and Jeff are just chatting together and have nothing to do with "tomorrow's edge". But it's certain that Jeff held a party in Ben's villa today and called Lan Li over. Obviously, it's not just that there are not enough guests at the party. It's as simple as hoping Lan Li would come to join in.

Lanli doesn't know if today's audition is the last one, or there will be more auditions waiting after that; But to be sure, today's audition is definitely not that simple.