Birth of an actor

The merger between Willot and Marvel is in progress, and the integration of the two companies—one of which has a history of more than half a century—is by no means something that can be completed overnight, only the contract documents brought about by the merger , especially when it comes to money, after repeated negotiations between the lawyers of both parties, it will take more than half a month to finalize the final result. Due to various considerations, William and Isaac Parmatt are not going to announce it in a short time. any cooperation information.

But as we all know, there is no eternal secret in Hollywood. Soon, through some law firms, accounting firms and even employees of both companies who have not signed a confidentiality agreement, everyone who should know will know.

Some people are optimistic about this, thinking that Willot's ambition is likely to develop into Hollywood's second Disney. They think that the reason Willot is interested in Marvel is because of the boy market brought by superheroes—— Since the 30s, Disney has been making every effort to build its own fairy tale kingdom. Fairy tales such as "Snow White", "Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast" that have been re-adapted into animated films have created a "princess" exclusive to Disney. "The brand, this brand has a huge appeal to little girls all over the world, and even some adult women.After all, everyone loves fairy tales and every woman dreams of being a princess.However, in contrast to the world-famous "Princess" brand, the boy market has not been well developed. No, or it should be said that in the family market all over the world, the boy market is not as developed as the girl market, at least in Europe, Families with children in Asia and Latin America should have watched the "Princess" animation produced by Disney, but they don't necessarily know the superheroes from the United States.

Well, at this point, Warner may be a little better than Marvel. Boys in most countries still know Superman and Batman-although because the last Superman movie was completed in 1989, in recent years The two Batman movies are not enough to appeal to teenagers. Even many boys in the United States think that Superman and Batman are comic heroes liked by the previous generation. In remote countries, not many people know about Spiderman. , not to mention Iron Man Hulk or even the Avengers.

But no one denies that comic book heroes are a promising market. After all, boys don’t like superheroes who save the world. Would they like Disney princesses who are always singing and dancing every day?

Willot already has a golden mountain of the magical world like "Harry Potter", and a series of "Blood Together" that has driven countless girls crazy, and now with more than 8000 comic heroes from Marvel Super villain—Sony, who was cut off by Willot and cooperating with Marvel, has not made any moves yet. After hearing about the cooperation intention of the two parties, Disney first sent people to do a comic market survey, and found that it is the most popular among young American comic readers. More than half of the superhero characters are from Marvel, and the most representative character is Spider-Man.

The results of the investigation made the executives of the "Mickey Mouse Kingdom" feel apprehensive: the lack of attractiveness to the boys market is the heart disease of Disney, which has always been aiming to create a fairy tale kingdom loved by children all over the world. If Willot acquires It’s okay that Marvel didn’t create the boy market, but if it is, then Disney will undoubtedly usher in another rising star opponent of the same type besides Pixar and DreamWorks, which is obviously not what Disney is happy to see.

Although no one can see what kind of changes the combination of Willot and Marvel will bring to Hollywood, the Disney executives who have been keenly aware of something wrong still intentionally spread and guide public opinion. The reason for badmouthing this cooperation is also very appropriate-the comic book publishing industry is sunsetting, and superhero-themed movies are extremely risky. I didn’t see Warner holding DC, a gold mine that is bigger than Marvel. They have already dared not make superhero movies anymore. Even "Superman Resurrection", which is currently in preparation and has invited Nicolas Cage to star in, and has already cost tens of millions of dollars, is constantly rumored that it will die prematurely.Another reason is that in the early 90s, Marvel, which had a great reputation, fell into trouble because of a series of crazy expansions in the mid-term. Willot's own scale is not as big as Marvel, and he tried to swallow elephants in vain. Wouldn't he repeat the same mistakes? ?

This is how Hollywood's pessimistic attitude towards the merger between Willot and Marvel came about. Disney's "efforts" once caused Marvel's stock price to fall for three consecutive days. However, when the news reached Wall Street, those people on Wall Street were not immune to rumors Bewitched, they not only know the changes in Marvel's previous and current financial situation, but also know that Willot is only a part of William Bradley and Lance Roderick's industry. Hundreds of millions of dollars in cash can be mobilized in minutes to make a compulsory acquisition of Marvel, but such a move is likely to attract scrutiny from relevant departments, and as long as Bradley's development focus is still in Hollywood, the company will not be able to do so anyway. It will go bankrupt. Therefore, starting from the fourth day, Marvel's stock price not only stopped the decline, but also slowly climbed towards the golden peak with a slow but steady rise.

In any case, the completion of the acquisition of Marvel still made William famous. Hollywood realized that Willow Terry was not the only one who would do business with Lance Roderick. talent.

William's private phone was almost blown up, and this time the calls were not only Hollywood's first-line producers, directors, and actors, but more executives and even presidents of the studio, even Disney executive Robert Iger , all called to establish contact with William, and refused to mention any negative views of Willot within Disney.

"Marvel's superheroes are actually easier to adapt into movies than DC. On the one hand, DC, whether Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or Batman comics except for the influence of Franco Miller, the divinity in these superhero characters Both are heavier, God loves the world, God’s concept of good and evil has clear values, and his abilities are strong enough. Most comic readers admire such superheroes more, because they can place their beliefs and emotions on superheroes who are almost indistinguishable from God. But comics and movies are completely different things. A comic has only a few dozen pages, but a movie takes two hours to run. Movie audiences don’t want to watch the protagonist fight from beginning to end, just keep beating the enemy and beating him again and again. They prefer more human protagonists who struggle and struggle, and more importantly, fail and grow, and other things with more depth of thought. Compared with DC, Marvel’s superheroes are more human. In other words, it can also be called "more flesh and blood". Many people have miserable lives and are often teased by fate. Many people have vague concepts of good and evil, and many people are not strong enough. Even forming a team will often fight among themselves because of different values—— Only such content, after being adapted into a movie, will not make the plot too thin and boring."

In a recent call, because he wanted Lance to understand the ultimate purpose of the acquisition of Marvel, William talked about the comic movie with the other party enthusiastically: "On the other hand, DC superheroes, such as Superman, apart from meeting Krypton Shiwai is almost a crushing existence to the enemy, and the destructive power is even more powerful. Do you still remember when reading comics before, when Superman knocked the alien monsters into the air, he always smashed through several buildings in succession? This kind of The scene of the gods descending on the level cannot be shown on the big screen now. Because the film stunts and shooting technology, as well as the computer special effects technology can not keep up, the reason why Warner's superhero movies have not been able to have a sustained good reputation, It is for this reason that the current technology is still unable to fully display the world of wonders in the comics."

"I remember that scene. Many painters like to deal with the scene of Superman beating bad guys like this. In "The Death of Superman", how many buildings were destroyed by Superman and Doomsday? I can't even remember." Lance Recalls: "But I remember we didn't read a lot of Marvel comics, "Spider-Man" and "Hulk"? Are they more likely to be adapted into movies?"

"Hulk can't do it. Master Yoda made by Industrial Light and Magic for "Star Wars Prequel" is not delicate enough. What's more, if the Hulk is to be made into a film alone, the special effects of the film must be shocking enough, and the workload is far beyond that. Be a Master Yoda. A Hulk with sub-standard skills and a reluctance to spend money on special effects, and the result is just a stiff, rigid, funny green hunk—”

"It's like the "Hulk" TV series we watched in 1978." Lance sighed: "It was a nightmare. Hulk and Thor, even from our eyes at that time, seemed to be just Run away from the circus."

In fact, Marvel has also worked hard to turn its superheroes into film and television works. What Lance said is the 1978 movie and television starring Bill Bakerby and Lou Frichino, Marvel and CBS Television, including The 78-episode TV series and three TV movies-three movies were originally intended to enter the cinema, but unfortunately no companies and theaters want to distribute them, so they can only be broadcast on TV-in these movies and TVs, Hulk's The actor is a real person, and the muscular actor is covered with green paint to play the transformed Hulk state, and the appearance of Thor is very close to the comics. In short, they are two very strange TV images. People can't help but shed a tear of sympathy for the underfunded and severely lacking special effects crew.

"However, Spider-Man should be able to. Peter Parker's life shots have already taken up a lot of space. The fighting method of using spider silk to fight with strength is already capable of being produced at the current level of special effects. Dennis Mullen, a special effects artist at Industrial Light & Magic, told me that Light & Magic's current technology can already produce Spider-Man in the urban air. That special spider perspective when moving."

"Actually, you don't have to tell me all the reasons, Will, I believe in all your decisions." Willot's acquisition of Marvel was facilitated by William, and Lance was willing to leave everything to the other party because of his trust in William. However, William himself believed that Willot was a joint venture between the two, and explained to Lance the reason, process, current situation, and even future plans of the company's merger with Marvel.

Although Lance likes the feeling of chatting with William very much, as if the two are not separated by tens of thousands of miles, but are talking face to face, and there is no slight unfamiliarity due to time and space, but he does not want to If the topic only revolves around the company, it's too boring.

"My fault is that there are too many thoughts in my head, and I can't control it when I chat with people." William laughed dumbfounded, rubbed his brows and continued: "And I can't chat with just anyone. Yes, some of what we just talked about is already classified as confidential, and it would be bad if other film companies hear about it. To be honest, isn’t the company short of staff and recruiting recently? I’m a little worried that it’s either now or In the future, sooner or later, a few commercial spies will be mixed in, and Willot's development speed is still a bit too fast and dazzling, and it is impossible for Warner, Paramount, and Disney to have no reaction at all."

"I will call the person in charge of the Los Angeles branch of Deyang International, so that they can participate in all the recruitment activities after joining the company. Those veterans who have participated in the Gulf War, or even just returned from overseas secret missions, want to find out a few It is still easy for commercial espionage who intend to get away with it."

"Good idea. Why didn't I think of it?" William's expression became more and more relaxed, and even his tone of voice became a little brisk: "My friend, it will be June soon, will you come back early?" This year Lance will After graduating from Cambridge, the date of return has not yet been determined. William has not even had a day off in his recent month's schedule, but if Lance wants to come back on a certain day, he can even skip the live talk show immediately to pick up the plane.

"Maybe I won't return to China until the end of July." Lance said, "At the graduation ceremony, I will speak as a graduate representative. Before leaving London, I have to confirm the decision-making rights of several European companies." If there is no accident If so, after leaving London this time, Lance will not live in Europe for a long time, reluctant?One thing, after all, his grandparents Waddington and his wife allowed him to enjoy the long-lost blood warmth. The overly cold and polite interpersonal relationship and even the gloomy weather in Britain are very suitable for him. However, the United States has more important things to Lance. Man, he couldn't have emigrated to London altogether.

"See you then, my friend." William tried not to sound so reluctant as he hung up the phone.

"See you then, Will." Coincidentally, so did Lance.

……

Hugo Weaving took a fancy to the robe when he first entered the room.

It was a brocade gown made of high-quality silk and satin. The silver fabric was bright in color, and if you looked carefully, you would find that the designer had printed leaf-shaped patterns on the fabric by some high-tech means. This kind of pattern is intertwined between the surface fabric and the lining, and there is nothing special when the light is dim, but when the surrounding light is sufficient, the patterns printed on the fabric can refract light from different angles, and one can imagine if someone wears it. Wearing this dress, it will definitely cause shimmering flickering when walking around, as if the clothes are covered with silver starlight. The hem is large, and the dress has a strong temperament. It can be imagined that this is a dress that will not look inappropriate when attending a banquet. , an elf robe that flutters in battle.

Such an exquisite and gorgeous robe can be seen as clothing belonging to elves at a glance. Hugo Weaving, who will play Rivendell Elf King Eldron in "The Lord of the Rings", fell in love with it at first sight, and pointed to it and asked the stylist: "This robe is very well made, but it looks a bit complicated and not easy to wear. Can someone try it on for me?"

"Ahem." The stylist coughed a few times in embarrassment, and whispered to Hugo Weaving, "This is not Eldron's costume, it's Glorfindel's." No wonder Hugo Weaving would Admittedly, there are only three or four important male elves in The Lord of the Rings, and they all have different heights. Orlando Bloom is six feet tall and the archer's costume will definitely be made to be easy to move. So no one will mistake which dress belongs to Bloom, and William Bradley and Hugo Weaving are about the same height, one is six feet one inch and the other is six feet two inches, and they both have noble status among elves. Regardless of identity, it is normal for Hugo Weaving to recognize Glorfindel's costume as Eldron's at a glance.

Hugo Weaving: "..." Years of acting career made him very calm (at least he looked very calm) and changed the subject: "What about my clothes?"

"This one," said the stylist, pointing to a linen and silk-lined gown nearby.

Hugo Weaving finally couldn't help showing a disgusted expression.

In all fairness, the workmanship of this robe is good. The linen fabric is stable and elegant, and the combination with silk is just right. Both the cutting and the design can be called excellent standards. The color of the fabric... To put it bluntly, it is the color of the earth, a deep and majestic brown. To put it bluntly, it is the color of the soil.

"Pfft ha ha ha ha!" Standing in the room, Billy Boyd, the actor who played Hobbit Pippen in "The Lord of the Rings", could no longer restrain the turmoil in his heart, and lowered his head and laughed.

Most of the other actors standing in the room were also like this. Everyone couldn't help laughing at the interaction between Hugo Weaving and the stylist, especially the excited expression on his expression when he pointed to the silver robe, and the sudden sight of his belongings The disdain and white eyes in his own brown robe, the two expressions switch quickly, as if changing face in an instant, making people want to laugh when they see it, but because the cast and crew have only met a few times, they are not familiar with each other. , I didn't laugh too exaggeratedly.

——The props and costumes of the "Lord of the Rings" crew have all been prepared, and they will be airlifted to New Zealand in a few days, and starting from next week, the actors will also fly to the shooting location in batches according to their respective entry dates. Prior to this, the stylist had to ensure that the size and size of each actor's clothing were correct, so today is considered a fitting day for the actors of "Lord of the Rings" in Los Angeles.More than Hugo Weaving and Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood as Frodo the Hobbit, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Sean Bean as Boromir, Kay Cate Blanchett as Landril, Liv Tyler as Arwen, the elf princess, and Oland Bloom as Legolas, the elf prince, all got together.

"But the color is too ugly." Hugo Weaving looked at this one, and then at that one, still a little disgusted with himself: "I am the elf king of Rivendell, Glorfindel should help me As a part-time worker, can I not wear the silver one? Will, what do you think?” Actually, looking at the brown robe, it is also a very beautifully made garment, but you have to shop around. Compared with the silver one, the brown robe is It looks a little dull.

William shrugs amid snickers from Liv Tyler et al: "I don't care."

"No, each piece of clothing is tailor-made according to everyone's roles. Even if the actors have the same height and weight, they can't be exchanged casually, because we even made accessories to match the robes." All the actors showed the jewelry tables on both sides of the room: "Like this hollow vine pattern, with a crown of white moonstone inlaid in the middle, and this white poppy brooch inlaid with topaz, which is used to match the silver robe. , they have a sense of radiance under the light, which is in line with Glorfindel's "shiny" character temperament, and this gilt tiara with simple lines, and this ring of wind, are from Rivendell's El Deron's logo is also in line with the mature and noble temperament of the Elven King. Moreover, the size of the clothes has been modified according to the body shape of each actor. To be honest, Mr. Wei Wen, you may not be able to wear William's clothes -"

"All right, all right, I'll just wear this mud suit." Hugo Weaving really couldn't stand the stylist's nagging: "Stop mentioning that Will's figure is N grades better than mine. "

Everyone laughed again, because of the two words 'mud suit' and Hugo Weaving's self-deprecating complaints, even Cate Blanchett, who pays attention to demeanor and always smiles. Smiling and showing their teeth, everyone carefully observed the difference between the two robes, and they found that the silver robe is more slim, and the style with wide shoulders and waist can immediately attract people's attention to the shoulder and waist comparison.

As we all know, the shoulder-to-waist ratio is one of the important characteristics to evaluate the charm of men, and it is also an extremely important standard visually. It can boldly highlight the lines of the shoulder-to-waist ratio, which is enough to prove the fashion designer’s confidence in the model’s figure. The brown robe, in design, feels It is slightly similar to a haute couture suit, and the design highlights of the robe are mostly concentrated on the shoulders, which can attract people's attention to the upper body instead of below the waist, which has a miraculous effect on modifying a slightly fat belly.

After seeing the designs of the two robes clearly, everyone knew why the stylist said Hugo Weaving couldn't wear William's clothes anymore, because it was true, even though Hugo Weaving was an inch taller than William, The limbs are also slender, but Weiwen does have a small belly (most men in middle age can't avoid it), and the muscle lines are not as tight and smooth as William's.

And when everyone changed their costumes and stood in the dressing room for the costume designer to measure again in order to modify the detailed size, they finally understood the costume designer's preference for Glorfindel, and also knew that the elf princess Arwen When the cloak is just a simple cut of a whole piece of velvet made in Genoa, Italy, why did the designers tirelessly embroider white poppies with gold thread on Glorfindel's cloak——

Because William Bradley is simply a natural clothes hanger, his shoulders are neither too broad nor too thin, just enough to support the entire coat in an elegant shape, and the exquisite silk satin gown hangs smoothly from the shoulders, It adds a bit of soft temperament, and the waistline is even tighter than the thin Orlando Bloom's costume. Unlike other male elves' costumes, Glorfindel's collar is a high open style, revealing More neck lines, which neutralize the grand feeling of the robe due to the overly fine workmanship, but although the skin is exposed more, the abstinence temperament is more intense.

"It's unbelievable," Orlando Bloom muttered as he adjusted the bow straps on his clothes. "It's possible to have a thinner waist than mine and wider shoulders."

Because the voice was low, only Liv Tyler, who was standing next to Orlando Bloom, heard him, turned her head and said, "You don't know that William has been losing weight for two months for "Lord of the Rings" Carry out all kinds of physical training, even the various standing, walking, riding and even fighting postures designed for him by the crew's mobile coach?"

"I, I really don't know. Is there such a thing?" Orlando Bloom looked dazed.

"Okay. Men really don't like to pay attention to entertainment news." Liv Tyler couldn't help but rolled her eyes and said, "If you have watched "Shakespeare in Love", you will find that William's figure is still there. Like a marble sculpture, it was just a movie made at this time last year. By the time the "Fight Club" crew released the first version of stills, the muscle lines on William's arms were no longer obvious, and they even looked a little soft. And now, have you found an extra muscle or fat on his body? Even the way he moves is so light, he already looks like an elf."

Orlando Bloom didn't speak, but his expression gave it away: Am I a straight man?Why should I pay attention to other men's bodies!

"It's not what I found out, it's a report by Us Weekly." Liv Tyler said in a frustrated tone: "William's courage to change his body for every role makes me feel ashamed, so although it is far from me now It's still a long way from entering the group, but I also found a personal trainer and started working out."

"It seems that I have to work hard too." Looking down at the costume that although he could hold it up, his upper body was still slightly empty due to lack of fitness. Orlando Bloom decided to start filming from today. Hit the gym three days a week.

……

"I don't think we chose the wrong actor for Legolas." When the actors were dressed in full outfits and went to the studio to take formal makeup photos, the director Peter Jackson who had just rushed over said to William standing behind the photographer : "Orlando Bloom is unexpectedly suitable for this role. He hasn't received special training yet. His movements are already dexterous enough. After the martial arts instructor helps him to be specially polished, I don't think anyone will doubt that he is an excellent elf Archers."

The candidate for the role of Prince Legolas of the Elf, after a long period of selection, was recently finalized as Orlando Bloom, and has been hotly discussed by the media and the public since the day it was announced.It was all the fault of William and Lance's makeup photo.

The elf shape personally created by the costume designer of the "Lord of the Rings" crew already has the effect of automatically adding beauty, not to mention that William and Lance's blades are already world-class-one is the biggest diamond in Hollywood. , one is Roderick's heir who is not inferior to his friends, and the occasional birthday party can drive all the ladies and ladies on the Upper East Side crazy-the bright lights of the dressing room are sprinkled from overhead, playing on the long pale blond hair and The gorgeous robes seem to have added a halo around the two of them. In the photo, Lance still has a smile on his mouth, and his impeccable facial features are beautifully cast. Although he turned around, his eyes did not move Withdrawing from William's face, William glanced at the camera lightly. His eyes were green enough to make one wonder if the photo had been dyed.

The two are like the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, like the twin stars shining together in the night, like Ganymedes who led Zeus to commit a crime, and more like an unreal dream.At least for Tolkien fans.

Although it was just a photo taken secretly in the dressing room, William and Lance's elf appearance caused a huge wave among Tolkien fans and non-Tolkeen fans, and countless people left comments on the website where the photo first appeared Said: "This is the elf in our imagination! Who is standing with Will? After "The Lord of the Rings", can Peter Jackson continue to film "The Silmarillion"?!"

Soon, someone recognized Lance Roderick, and the photos changed from just being circulated on the Internet to being printed on all the pages of Entertainment Weekly, and the good news media often used the "Lord of the Rings" makeup photos Come Out" or "The Roderick Heirs Abandon Business and Act? " and the like.

It is naturally impossible for the billionaire Lance Roderick to really come to Hollywood to develop. The media is actually just joining in the fun and wanting to sell more newspapers. After knowing that the other elf in the photo is named Roderick, everyone is shocked. Silently dispelled the hype to make the other party really appear in the "Lord of the Rings" movie.

——Probably the only exception is Peter Jackson. The New Zealand director did make a suggestion to William. He wanted to invite Lance to play a guest role as Celeborn, the husband of the elf queen Galadriel, but I knew the outcome, and Lance refused.

Although it is well known that Lance Roderick is unlikely to become an actor, his stunning looks still brought great difficulties to the casting of Legolas. The public's appetite has been raised, which makes the selection of actors extremely difficult. , no matter how many actors have been changed, as soon as the trial photos are released, the directors and book fans are always not satisfied.

After many meetings and discussions between Willot Company executives and the crew, the actor was finally identified as Orlando Bloom, a rookie actor who had just graduated from the School of Drama and Music and was not well known to the public.They thought that since the selection of any actor could not satisfy the public with the casting of Legolas, it would be better to choose a newcomer with good acting skills and handsome enough.

Orlando Bloom is indeed very handsome, but to say that book fans and movie fans are satisfied with him, it has not yet reached that point. It will have to wait until the movie is released to see Bloom's specific performance before making a conclusion.Now, the outside world is still mostly skeptical and observing about Orlando Bloom.

"Orlando Bloom's camera sense is very good, and he is also very hardworking. Your choice is indeed right, Peter." William, who had finished taking the makeup photo, nodded and said, looking at Peter Jackson again, sighing and laughing: " It’s just that I didn’t expect Lance and I to cause so much trouble for the crew.”

"You can't say that. At least you have brought a lot of attention to the crew. It may take us a whole year just to shoot, and in a quiet place like New Zealand, it is very necessary to keep Hollywood interested in us. "

"Don't worry about this, Peter." William patted the New Zealand director on the shoulder: "I have a way to handle it."

Not only Hollywood, but most of the media and movie fans in the United States are already very interested in "The Lord of the Rings". As long as the movie is filmed, a certain number of stills and posters will be exposed at a fixed frequency, or some interesting photos and news will be taken. Released to maintain the exposure of the crew, over time, by the time the first film is released, the public attention will definitely reach an unimaginable high point for Peter Jackson now.

This is how Willot operated "Blood Together" at the beginning. In Hollywood, when it comes to viral marketing and publicity, especially the one combined with the Internet, it can be said that Willot believes that the second is not the company that will recognize the first. And what William has to do is to take advantage of the time when other Hollywood film companies have not touched the laws of viral marketing or online promotion, to accumulate more experience in actual combat, and to eat the biggest piece of cake in the market. Here, Willot's publicity level will always be at the forefront of the industry.