Director in Hollywood

"Wow, oh my god, holy sh*t..." Tom Cruise stepped onto the set and instantly turned into a walking exclamation mark, marveling at everything he saw.

On set, Charlize Theron was dressed in a sleek black bodysuit, executing action moves specifically designed for her by Yuen Woo-ping, perfectly showcasing her tall and slender physique.

Due to her ballet background, Charlize Theron's leg movements were especially graceful.

Even the seasoned crew members, who had seen it all, were captivated by her performance. There was no doubt that the effect on the big screen would be stunning.

To use a popular phrase from the internet in a past life: "These legs, I could admire for a year."

Of course, at this moment, no one dared to voice such thoughts. The director was standing right there—better not risk it.

Watching the actors perform their stylish fight scenes and gun battles, Tom Cruise was curious. "Did you guys design all these action sequences?"

"I hired an action directing team from Hong Kong," Gilbert pointed to Yuen Woo-ping, who was giving directions on set. "It's all thanks to them that the action scenes in this film look so spectacular."

"It seems a bit flashy, almost dizzying," Tom Cruise commented. "But this style is bound to be a hit with audiences.

Especially the gunfight scenes—when Keanu pulled out two guns and started shooting, it was just too cool."

It was clear that Tom Cruise was itching to join in.

"I kind of regret it. If I had known earlier, I would have delayed launching Mission: Impossible and tried to land a role in your film instead," Tom Cruise said wistfully.

"If you were willing to lower your salary a bit, Tom, I definitely would have chosen you," Gilbert replied.

He was being honest. If Tom Cruise had been willing to cut his paycheck, even down to $10 million, Gilbert would have picked him without hesitation.

Keanu Reeves? Step aside.

But unfortunately, Tom Cruise would never slash his salary for a commercial film—that would be a foolish move.

"Let's not talk about that," Tom Cruise changed the subject. "What do you think about me hiring them as the action team for Mission: Impossible 2?"

"The director hasn't been decided yet, right?" Gilbert recommended someone. "I suggest John Woo direct Mission: Impossible 2."

"John Woo?" Tom Cruise frowned, trying to recall the name but drawing a blank.

"The director of Broken Arrow and Face/Off. Some of the action sequences in my The Matrix were inspired by his work," Gilbert explained.

Tom Cruise nodded. "Alright, I'll recommend him to Paramount when I get back."

After wrapping up for the day, Tom Cruise declined Gilbert's invitation to dinner—he had to head back.

"I heard you invited Mary to be in The Lord of the Rings?"

Gilbert nodded, confirming it. "Yes, I think she's perfect for the role."

"On behalf of Mary, thank you, Gilbert." Tom Cruise patted Gilbert's shoulder firmly, his gratitude genuine.

"You're welcome, Tom. I'm looking forward to working with you too," Gilbert said with a smile.

"Of course," Tom Cruise flashed his signature charming smile. "We'll always be the best of brothers, man."

After leaving Warner Bros. Studios, Tom Cruise was immediately intercepted by waiting reporters.

Calm and composed, Tom Cruise praised what he had seen on set. "It was fantastic, absolutely incredible. I got a sneak peek, and there were some really big action sequences.

The fight scenes and gunplay were amazing—this is a must-see movie for next summer."

This was the first time someone had publicly hyped up Gilbert's The Matrix, which would surely pique the interest of some moviegoers.

The reporters, well aware of Tom Cruise's desire to work with Gilbert, asked, "Did you come here to try and convince Gilbert to direct Mission: Impossible?"

"You all know that Gilbert has always been my best friend, and the films he makes are unparalleled. His entire team is outstanding—I can't wait to collaborate with them," Tom Cruise replied evasively, deliberately leading the reporters on.

The reporters didn't mind being misled. In fact, they welcomed it—this kind of story would generate buzz and grab headlines.

Gilbert, for his part, wouldn't take issue with Tom Cruise's words. At the end of the day, this kind of media attention benefited everyone—Tom Cruise, Gilbert, and The Matrix alike.

That evening, back home, Charlize Theron asked Gilbert, "I heard that Armageddon and Godzilla are both scheduled for mid-May. Shouldn't we avoid competing with them?"

"Why should we dodge them?" Gilbert countered.

"Uh…" Charlize Theron thought for a moment before answering, "Right now, disaster films are the hottest trend. Independence Day was a massive box office success.

And Godzilla comes from Japan—after the success of Jurassic Park, audiences love dinosaurs. Godzilla is basically like a T-Rex, so it should be really popular."

"So what?" Gilbert was brimming with confidence. "My films have always dominated the summer box office. If anything, others should be afraid of me."

"Then why did you steer clear of The Lost World: Jurassic Park last time and push your release date far away?" Charlize Theron shot back, bringing up a fact.

"Sally, are you trying to take over the conversation?" Gilbert smirked and immediately started tickling Charlize Theron's waist, making her burst into laughter.

While Gilbert and Charlize Theron were playfully teasing each other, not far from Warner Bros. Studios, Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob had just left Sony-Columbia Pictures.

"Columbia Pictures refused to reschedule their releases. Ovitz, what should we do?" Martin Bob asked.

Michael Ovitz was just as frustrated. "Martin, those short-statured Japanese executives never know when to back down.

Do they really think Armageddon is invincible just because it's in the summer blockbuster lineup? Are they as arrogant as their foolish Imperial Navy?"

The two of them were clearly annoyed.

Not long ago, Sony-Columbia had announced their release schedule, with Armageddon and Godzilla both slated for May—one right after the other.

Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob had come on this trip specifically to persuade the executives at Sony-Columbia to reschedule their films.

However, the CEO of Sony-Columbia, that island nation executive, refused to listen to their advice and insisted on going his own way.

Both Armageddon and Godzilla were projects they had packaged and managed, and now they were both squeezed into May, going head-to-head with Gilbert. This was a serious problem.

Over the past few years, Gilbert had already proven his dominance in the summer box office, earning him the title of "Prince of the Summer Box Office."

No, calling him the "Prince of the Summer Box Office" was no longer appropriate. He should be called the King of Summer Box Office, the Emperor of Summer Box Office, the Madman of Summer Box Office!

Whatever the title, it all pointed to one thing—releasing a film alongside Gilbert's was a foolish move because you couldn't compete with him.

But that island nation executive, who seemed to have a shrunken brain, was dead set on this plan. They believed that Michael Bay's Armageddon and that monster from their own country, which looked like a T-Rex, could defeat Gilbert.

If this wasn't pure delusion, then what was?

Even the arrogant Michael Bay himself didn't dare claim he could defeat Gilbert at the summer box office.

Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob were frustrated and hurried back to discuss countermeasures. Since they couldn't avoid it, they had to think about how to win.

The next day, after reading a newspaper quote from Tom Cruise, Martin Bob sighed helplessly.

He turned to the long-faced director, Michael Bay, and asked, "Benjamin, do you have the confidence to defeat Gilbert in the summer box office?"

"I…" Michael Bay wanted to say he could beat Gilbert, but he lacked confidence. "I can't, sir."

"Sigh," Martin Bob sighed deeply. "Right now, The Matrix hasn't announced its release date, but I expect it will also be in early May. We need to be prepared."

At this moment, Michael Ovitz suddenly said, "Actually, we might not necessarily lose."

"How so?" Martin Bob asked curiously.

Michael Ovitz said, "Last night, I asked a friend inside Disney to check on the situation. I heard that Gilbert's The Matrix is overly complex and difficult to understand. The script is too complicated—even the executives don't understand it."

Michael Ovitz had been Disney's CEO for a time before Michael Eisner kicked him out, but he still had connections there. Getting this kind of information wasn't hard.

Martin Bob immediately understood Michael Ovitz's point. "I get it. Films like that have never done well in the summer box office.

Audiences go to the movies to have fun, not to struggle through deep, complex narratives."

Complex and brainy films had never been strong performers in the summer box office. On the other hand, simple and straightforward popcorn movies often did well.

This was an ironclad rule that Hollywood studios had observed for years.

The two men looked at Michael Bay and nodded in agreement.

Michael Ovitz said, "Benjamin, get ready. You might actually have a chance to beat that madman in the summer box office."

Michael Bay was overjoyed. Ever since he had transitioned from advertising into Hollywood, people had labeled him a weaker, watered-down version of Gilbert.

This had always irritated Michael Bay. He was Michael Bay, not some cheap imitation of anyone else.

But after repeated failures, Michael Bay's confidence had taken a serious hit, and he had gradually come to accept that he was simply no match for Gilbert.

Now, hearing that there was even a slight chance of victory, even if it seemed unlikely, was enough to excite Michael Bay.

"Gilbert, you wait for me at the summer box office. I, Michael Bay, am going to teach you a lesson!"

Michael Bay had a flaw—when he gained confidence, he tended to become arrogant. And when he became arrogant, he would start running his mouth.

This time was no exception. His big mouth stirred up a media frenzy even before the battle for next summer's box office had begun.

After Sony-Columbia announced its film schedule, reporters caught up with Michael Bay and asked if he was afraid of the summer box office competition, especially against Gilbert.

Michael Bay's expression was full of pride. "I have never been afraid of competition, not even against Gilbert."

The reporters were stunned. Couldn't he be a little more modest?

"That's Gilbert we're talking about!" a reporter pointed out.

"Listen carefully—I am not afraid of competition, from anyone, including Gilbert," Michael Bay emphasized.

Since Michael Bay had said this, the reporters naturally ran with it.

Soon, the media started reporting and hyping up the story, framing it as Michael Bay challenging Gilbert in the summer box office.

"Michael Bay arrogantly declares war, set to compete with Gilbert at the summer box office—Gilbert has yet to respond."

"Michael Bay boasts that Armageddon will defeat Gilbert's The Matrix—a fierce battle awaits next summer."

"Michael Bay's Armageddon vs. Gilbert's The Matrix—who will dominate the summer box office?"

At Warner Bros., Charlize Theron read the headlines and found it amusing. "Who is this Michael Bay? Where did he crawl out from? He thinks he can take us on?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "He's actually quite well-known, and his films have done quite well."

"But can he compare to you? He's way too arrogant. We have to teach him a lesson, don't you think?" Charlize Theron turned to Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves agreed. "Yeah, he's taking himself way too seriously."

Laurence Fishburne sneered. "This Michael Bay is naive. He has no idea what he's up against."

Since they were all part of The Matrix production, they naturally sided with their own film.

Besides, this was Gilbert they were talking about. What right did Michael Bay have to boast that he could defeat Gilbert?

Even Spielberg, despite being on good terms with Gilbert, wouldn't dare say such a thing.

In fact, Spielberg would usually coordinate with Gilbert to avoid direct competition. Just last year, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense had released in separate time slots.

This year was the same. DreamWorks had spoken with Gilbert and adjusted their schedule—Deep Impact was pushed back to July.

"Gilbert, aren't you going to respond?" Charlize Theron asked.

"What's there to respond to? If I say something, it only gives him more publicity."

Gilbert hated being used for clout, especially when someone talked big about beating him.

He instructed his assistant, Anna, "Coordinate with Warner Bros. and Disney. Let's announce our release date."

"Understood," Anna quickly got to work.

Soon, although Gilbert didn't respond directly, Warner Bros. and Disney announced that The Matrix would be released on the first weekend of May next year.

With this announcement, the hype escalated even further.

Audiences and media were eating up the drama, and excitement for next summer skyrocketed.

However, most people believed Michael Bay was just using this to promote his film. No one actually thought he could beat Gilbert.

That said, Armageddon was now on people's radar—people were curious to see what kind of film dared to challenge The Matrix.

At this point, very little about The Matrix had been revealed. A few vague stills had sparked fan speculation, particularly one where Charlize Theron appeared to be doing an acrobatic move mid-air, which made some think it was an intense action film.

The style felt familiar to those who had seen Hong Kong action movies.

But then again, The Matrix was categorized as Sci-Fi/Action.

For American audiences, flashy martial arts films were practically sci-fi anyway. Even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was seen as a sci-fi film by many in the U.S.

So, labeling The Matrix as a sci-fi film made perfect sense.

Meanwhile, Michael Bay was getting scolded.

Michael Ovitz berated him. "Do you even think before you speak? Do you think Gilbert made it this far in Hollywood just because of connections?

Use your tiny brain—Gilbert holds grudges. Do you think you can completely crush him?"

Michael Bay was unconvinced. "I only said I'm not afraid of competition. The media twisted my words."

"It's too late for that now," Ovitz sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Luckily, Gilbert has too much status now to bother with this. If he ignores us, that's for the best.

If he underestimates us, we'll hit him hard at the summer box office.

Then, he won't ignore us anymore."

Michael Bay thought this made sense and swore to himself: Gilbert, just wait. I'll make you pay at the summer box office!

But Gilbert wasn't worried. Armageddon wasn't Transformers. What was there to fear?

And speaking of Transformers, Michael Bay might never get to direct it.

After hearing Bay's arrogant remarks, Gilbert had his agent, Sheena Boone, reach out to Hasbro.

He was petty like that—if you challenged him, he'd take your project, and you'd never even know.

Michael Bay truly had no idea. If he did, with his temper, he might have challenged Gilbert to a duel.

Too bad—he would never find out.

....

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