Chapter 116 The actor who plays Mason
Speaking of the image of agents, before Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne came out, the most famous one was undoubtedly James Bond.
It is worth mentioning that Gilbert Jr. also thought about getting the copyright to the original novel "The Bourne Identity".
Unfortunately, the copyright of this novel has been acquired by Universal Pictures, and a TV series has also been made.
The "007" series has created a classic image of the British agent, which has endured for decades and has become a classic in agent movies.
Therefore, in the preparatory meeting, when the image of the British agent was mentioned, the actor who played 007 had to be mentioned.
Therefore, producer Charles Rowan directly suggested: "Little Gilbert, I suggest choosing Sean Connery, what do you think?"
Sean Connery is the first actor to play 007 and the most classic image of James Bond.
Although he stopped playing 007 a long time ago, Sean Connery is still very recognized by movie fans. His role as Mason in the film is not a problem at all.
But the problem is that Sean Connery is an actor under CAA, and he is also a client that Martin Bob is personally responsible for.
When little Gilbert heard this proposal, he frowned and asked, "Do we have any other suitable candidates?"
Kane Waxman shook his head: "Little Gilbert, if you want to find a British agent, no one is more suitable than him. We don't have much choice."
As the largest agency in Hollywood, CAA holds a lot of scarce resources.
For example, Sean Connery is a scarce resource in Hollywood. Not to mention that not choosing him would not be in line with the positioning of the film, and movie fans will be picky.
Little Gilbert knew there was nothing he could do, so he had no choice but to agree to the selection of the two producers: "Then send an invitation to Sean Connery and attach the script. I hope the script can impress him."
"Okay, I'll take care of this." Charles Rowan agreed.
Gilbert Jr. added: "We are making two preparations. I remember that he is not the only 007 actor. We can contact other 007 actors."
Hearing these words, Kane Waxman had a new idea: "Little Gilbert, we can invite Roger Moore to star."
"Roger Moore?" Little Gilbert frowned and thought for a long time. The 007 actors he was more familiar with were Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
One is the current 007, and the other one may not have joined the circle yet.
Caine explained: "Roger Moore is the third generation Bond, succeeding Sean Connery and George Lazaby, and he is also the actor who has starred in the most Bond films.
It's just that there is no good agency, and it was gradually forgotten after the 007 movie ended. "
Little Gilbert made an instant decision: "Consider him as a backup. If Sean Connery doesn't agree, choose him."
In Hollywood, even scarce resources are not irreplaceable.
Everyone brainstormed and even considered Christopher Lee, who starred in "007: The Man with the Golden Gun," as an alternative.
Little Gilbert said to Kane again: "Nicola, please start contract negotiations as soon as possible. He has no big-selling commercial movies, so the salary should be lower."
Although Nicolas Cage has starred in many movies, in terms of commercial appeal, he is only a second-tier actor, and his pay is naturally not as good as those of first-tier stars.
“Also,” Gilbert Jr. added, “Ed Harris is invited to play General Fran Hammer and John Spencer is invited to play Jim Womack.
After auditioning for other roles, submit a list to me.
By the way, Naomi wanted to make a cameo, and I arranged for her to play Goolsby's fiancée, and Scarlett would also make a guest appearance. "
The petite woman learned that there were several female characters with few roles in the film, so she chose a character with speaking roles.
After "Iron Fist", Naomi Watts can be considered an actor who has attracted attention, and she presumably repays little Gilbert in this way.
Of course, the best way to repay the favor, little Gilbert thinks, is in bed...
Scarlett Johansson has become a regular character in each of Gilbert's films. Although she doesn't have many roles, she still participates.
Scarlett Johansson, who lacks fatherly love, has been very close to little Gilbert since she was a child.
Even Sofia Coppola couldn't help but feel jealous: "Obviously I introduced you to each other, but now I seem like an outsider."
At this time, Scarlett Johansson held little Gilbert's neck in his arms, then raised her head and looked at little Gilbert's chin and said: "When I grow up, I want to marry little Gilbert."
Everyone just laughed after hearing this, but they didn't take it seriously, they just thought it was a child's talk.
After the press conference, Warner Bros. and Touchstone Pictures each shelled out $30 million.
After receiving part of the share of "Iron Armor", Melon Studio continued to participate in the investment of 10 million US dollars, and the total investment amount of 70 million US dollars was transferred to the account of a third-party insurance company.
Of course, in the investment agreement, Gilbert Jr. also stated that additional investment may be made in the future.
This time, no other small investors participated, mainly because Warner and Disney did not want those small investors to participate, and then they had to divide their own profits.
It seems that the strong profitability of Little Gilbert's films has made the two giants feel that the benefits are higher than the risks, and they do not want other investors to share the risks.
Of course, the two giants are not just Little Gilbert's film projects, their respective stalls are very large. The investment amount of US$30 million will definitely need to be financed internally.
But that's none of Gilbert's business. He only cares about whether the money is available.
After the initial planning meeting, Charles Rowan went to visit Sean Connery in person, but the result was not very smooth.
"Charles, the whole of Hollywood is paying attention to Little Gilbert's new movie, and I am no exception." Sean Connery said, picking his nose without concealing it.
Charles Rowan frowns, Sean Connery's unabashed slovenliness is unreasonable when he has a visitor.
Although Sean Connery is portrayed by CAA as the most elegant and gentlemanly old man in Hollywood, everyone in Hollywood knows what kind of person he is in private.
Alcoholism, domestic violence, drug abuse, rudeness, foul-mouthed, impulsive, irritable, and poor hygiene.
It is said that one time a guest came to Sean Connery's home, and Sean Connery came out to greet him wearing pajamas that had not been washed for several days.
The stench from the body can be smelled from a meter away, and lice can be seen popping out.
What devastated the guests the most was that Sean Connery’s home was like a garbage dump, and rats could even be seen walking through it.
Sean Connery did not allow the servants to clean up. His wife wanted to clean up, but Sean Connery called her a bitch. After drinking and taking drugs, he beat and kicked her.
The first wife couldn't bear it and divorced directly, but Sean Connery still went his own way.
If it weren't for CAA's cover-up and Sean Connery's private appearance being exposed, the carefully managed image would have been ruined.
Hollywood veterans certainly know what kind of person Sean Connery is.
But if there is no conflict of interest, no one will deliberately hype this kind of thing. It's easy to offend people without saying anything, and it may not necessarily make Sean Connery look bad.
As if Sean Connery couldn't see the expression on Charles Rowan's face, he continued: "It's very simple for me to star in the movie. I have to participate in the investment, which is 20 million US dollars."
Charles Rowan frowned even more: "Sorry, Mr. Connery, we cannot accept this condition."
"It doesn't matter," Sean Connery seemed to know the candidate that little Gilbert wanted: "You want to find an old British agent, and no one is more suitable than me. Give them some time to think about it, but don't think about it for too long. "
The meeting did not go well, and Charles Rowan had no choice but to leave Sean Connery's home.
Before leaving, he could still hear the sound of broken wine bottles and the cries of women and children. It was estimated that Sean Connery was experiencing domestic violence again.
Returning to Alcatraz Studios in Burbank, a new studio established specifically for "The Island", Charles Rowan reported to Gilbert Jr. about his contact with Sean Connery.
"Investment? You still want to invest 20 million US dollars?" Little Gilbert frowned, shook his head and said, "This is impossible to accept, reject him."
Charles Rowan and Kane Waxman also mean the same thing. Warner and Disney will never accept anyone else participating in the investment of the film and dividing their own profits.
But, if you don’t choose Sean Connery, who else can you choose?
Little Gilbert vaguely remembered that in fact, at the beginning, the character of John Mason was not supposed to be Sean Connery.
Because the film script has been polished many times, it was changed to that look in order to better meet Sean Connery's requirements.
And the character of Goolsby was not Nicolas Cage at first.
Mr. Governor's schedule was tight, and the initial version of the script was very simple and did not impress him, so he rejected it. This was Nicolas Cage's turn.
Since Sean Connery has a lot of demands and wants to intervene in investment, it is better to just replace him according to the original plan.
So Gilbert Jr. said: "In this case, letting Roger Moore play John Mason is a good choice."
Charles Rowan thought about it and thought it was feasible, but he was a little worried: "Roger Moore hasn't been in a movie for a long time.
After the 007 series ended, the movies he starred in did not receive good reviews at the box office.
Are there any hidden dangers in choosing him? "
Roger Moore is not as lucky as Sean Connery. He has CAA to help him market his image.
Although Sean Connery has passed away, his status and image are still there.
Roger Moore has been almost inactive in recent years, basically appearing in TV shows, dubbing cartoons and movies, and investing in charity.
Little Gilbert waved his hand, signaling Charles Rowan not to worry.
He said confidently: "Charles, I will not choose high-profile stars because of their status. On the contrary, those stars need my movies to stay popular.
Actors also need to star in my films so that they can establish themselves in Hollywood and become famous. "
Charles Rowan couldn't help but nod. This was indeed the case. The previously unknown actor began to gain popularity after appearing in the Little Gilbert movie.
The actor who was originally a little famous became completely famous after starring in the Little Gilbert movie.
A successful commercial movie has a powerful ability to create stars. If there were no metaphysical elements in it, Little Gilbert's movie project would be the most desired movie project by all Hollywood actors.
After the discussion, the crew immediately abandoned Sean Connery and sent an audition invitation to Roger Moore, who was doing nothing and resting at home.
"Roger, good news, good news..." The agent burst into the backyard in a hurry, causing Roger Moore, who was sunbathing, to frown.
"What's wrong? Dawes, you are still so frizzy at your age." Roger Moore said dissatisfied.
Dawes was Roger Moore's guide into the film industry and was also his good friend. He served as his agent, so the two had a very good relationship.
At this time, Dawes was panting heavily because his fat body could not withstand the pressure of hypoxia because he was running too fast.
After finally regaining his composure, Dawes said in a showy tone: "Roger, you would never have guessed who extended the invitation to us?"
Roger Moore didn't care: "Which TV show is the invitation? You just pick it up for me."
"No, it's not," Dawes said excitedly: "It's the movie, the new work of Gilbert Landrini Jr., that invites you."
"Little Gilbert?" Roger Moore was stunned: "He invited me to star in a movie? Is this true?"
"Of course it's true. The audition invitation was sent to me, as well as part of the script." With that, Dawes handed the invitation and the script to Roger Moore.
Roger Moore opened the audition invitation and saw that it was written by producer Charles Rowan, inviting him to star in Gilbert Jr.'s new movie, and to be the protagonist.
Roger Moore's hand shook and the invitation slipped involuntarily. He couldn't believe it.
"Dawes, is this true?" Roger Moore asked.
That's Little Gilbert. Although he hasn't acted in a movie for a long time, he still knows about the recently emerged, famous and talented director Little Gilbert.
At that time, he just lamented that young people really have rich imaginations, but he never thought that he would be able to collaborate with this talented director.
But now, the invitation letter has indeed been sent to him, which makes Roger Moore feel like he is dreaming.
Dawes said: "I read the script for you. The character you play is John Mason, a British agent, which is somewhat similar to your character in the 007 movie.
Roger, this is an opportunity, you must seize it!
We are not young anymore. If you don’t want to retire, this is your only chance. "
Roger Moore wakes up from a dream and discovers that it was not a dream, but reality.
This sixty-seven-year-old British actor made the most important decision in his later career as an actor: "Dawes, help me agree to the invitation. The salary doesn't matter, as long as I can play the role."
"Don't worry," Daos nodded solemnly: "I will definitely help you seize the opportunity."
After Roger Moore agreed, Dawes quickly contacted the crew. The two parties were in love, the concubine was interested, and they hit it off immediately.
After a brief audition, Roger Moore successfully landed the role of John Mason.
When the actor's contract was signed, Roger Moore almost cried with excitement. God knows how long he struggled in the acting circle after 007.
Now after starring in the new work of the talented director Gilbert Jr., the career of an actor, which was already hopeless, has a new dawn.
After the actor's contract was signed, Little Gilbert also chatted with the second-generation 007: "Roger, the crew also considered many aspects when choosing you to star.
Are you feeling well? "
"Of course you can. I have been exercising, and it will be no problem to perform the action scenes myself." Roger Moore said that he is getting stronger as time goes by.
Roger Moore would not hesitate to let him shoot some dangerous actions at this moment, because he understands that the opportunity is rare.
"That's not necessary," little Gilbert said with a smile: "It's just that the filming of our movie is quite difficult. It requires a lot of physical strength and the burden is heavy. Can you accept it?"
Even if he was physically weak at this moment, Roger Moore couldn't back down: "Don't worry, little Gilbert, I can definitely do it."
"Well," Little Gilbert nodded and shook hands with Roger Moore: "Then we will have a happy cooperation."
“A pleasure to work with...”
(End of chapter)