The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 132

Returning to the lounge, Matthew received the final version of the script from Stephen.

Along with it was a copy of the project plan.

"There are some things that need to be said upfront," Stephen informed him. "You have to be ready for an intense shoot."

Matthew nodded. "Of course."

Although he was thrilled to have landed the lead role, he didn't dare forget that compared to Stephen and Sean, he was still a newcomer as a leading man.

Knowing Matthew was a dedicated actor, Stephen got straight to the point. "The film will have a lot of action and stunt scenes, and I need you to perform them yourself to achieve maximum realism."

"Not a problem," Matthew said confidently. "You saw my performance in The Mummy Returns. My physical coordination is even better now than it was back then."

Stephen nodded. He vividly remembered the effort Matthew had poured into the role of the Scorpion King, which was one of the main reasons he felt confident casting him as the lead. "Your role will involve using various weapons—spears, short swords, long swords, bows and arrows. You'll need professional training for that as well."

Matthew had no objections.

Stephen continued, "The production team is in contact with a weapons master. You'll begin special training with him once the rest of the cast has been finalized."Just then, Sean walked over. "We need to keep you in the public eye," he said. "Preferably by drumming up some extra media attention. The team will develop a publicity strategy for you."

"Sounds good." Matthew made a call-me gesture with his hand. "I'm available anytime."

After speaking with Sean and Stephen, Matthew exchanged a few words with the director, Chuck Russell. Russell had very limited authority; he wasn't the true "commander-in-chief" on set and would have no involvement in post-production.

After a brief chat, Matthew left to meet Helen and departed from the Universal Studios lot.

Unlike his quiet arrival, his departure from Universal Studios was a spectacle. The car was immediately swarmed by reporters pointing their cameras through the windows, and several paparazzi on motorcycles tailed them as they pulled away.

Matthew was riding in Helen's car.

"I hope you get used to this kind of attention someday," Helen commented, glancing at the paparazzi in the rearview mirror. "The star of a forty-million-dollar production is still big news for them."

Matthew didn't particularly care, so he remained silent.

Helen abruptly changed the subject. "If you don't want your cover blown, you'd better not see Britney for a little while."

Matthew answered honestly, "Britney's not in Los Angeles anyway. She's shooting a music video and won't be back for a few days."

"If your fling with her gets out," Helen said, her tone serious, "right when your—"

Before she could finish, Matthew cut her off. "I'll say it again, Helen. Let it play out naturally."

Not waiting for Helen to respond, he asked, "Who are you planning to recommend for the female lead?"

Matthew knew Helen had struck some deals with the production, like giving her agency's actors priority consideration for roles.

"There are no specific candidates at the moment." His question seemed to make Helen pause and consider. She added, "I've only drawn up a preliminary list."

"Well, once you have it narrowed down," Matthew requested, "can you let me know?"

"Hm?" Helen didn't quite follow.

Matthew stated plainly, "Since you're using me as a bargaining chip, I have a right to know, don't I?"

He wasn't an idiot; he could put two and two together.

"Of course." Helen was clearly being evasive. "You're the male lead, my most important client. Naturally, I wouldn't hide anything from you. I'll call you when I have someone in mind."

"I've also skimmed the script, and there are a few intimate scenes between the hero and heroine," Matthew added, then asked hesitantly, "You aren't planning on casting a black actress for the lead, are you?"

That was his biggest concern.

"Absolutely not," Helen denied. "Even if I wanted to, Sean would never go for it."

Matthew nodded.

Sean didn't have an issue with non-white actors in general; his "conservatism" was aimed specifically at black performers.

...

The car arrived in Burbank and pulled up in front of the Angel Acting Agency. Matthew didn't go inside, instead getting into his old Ford to head home. As he started the engine, he noticed several more paparazzi tailing him. He was in high spirits, so he gave them a friendly wave.

In the past, paparazzi might have snapped a few photos of him at best. This time, they followed him all the way to his front door.

Matthew knew perfectly well it was because of the new aura that came with being the lead in a $40 million movie.

After parking the car and getting home with the script, Matthew pulled a chair up to the window and began to leaf through the pages.

After just ten pages, he realized that the story titled The Scorpion King had nothing to do with the character from The Mummy Returns. Stephen had written a completely new narrative.

He quickly skimmed the rest of the screenplay, getting the gist of the plot.

The story was set in the ancient city of Gomorrah, ruled by the ruthless warlord Memnon and his powerful army. The other tribes in the region form an alliance to fight him, but after several battles, they are all defeated.

Discovering that Memnon is aided by a mysterious sorcerer who can see the future, the tribal alliance decides to send an assassin to eliminate this key advisor.

The assassin is his character, Mathayus, a strong, brave, and mighty warrior. And, as is custom in Hollywood, every great warrior needs a beautiful woman by his side.

From there, the hero and heroine inevitably get together, infiltrate Memnon's fortress with a friend of Mathayus, and confront the warlord himself.

The ending, of course, was a classic Hollywood happy ending, adhering strictly to the commercial film formula.

In short, The Scorpion King had almost nothing to do with the character from the previous film, let alone being the prequel to The Mummy series that it was being marketed as.

Reading the script, it was clear the film really centered on four main characters: his own, Mathayus; the sorceress, Cassandra; a male supporting character named Arpid; and the villain, Memnon.

So far, only one of those four roles had been cast. Helen was striving to get the others signed to the Angel Acting Agency, but she was facing some challenges.

Having skimmed the screenplay, Matthew decided to save a more detailed study for later. He picked up the project plan co-produced by Stephen and Sean and looked it over. The project was still in its preliminary stages, but the two had clearly done extensive prep work, and some details weren't what he had expected.

The filming locations, for instance.

Matthew had initially assumed they would shoot the interior scenes at Pinewood Studios in London, just like they had for The Mummy Returns, with the exteriors filmed in the Moroccan desert.

But it turned out he was mistaken. Due to the film's smaller budget, the production would stay in the U.S. for the entire shoot. The interior scenes were slated for Warner Studios, and the exteriors would be filmed in the Arizona desert.

Forgoing the tax breaks from the UK and Morocco would save a considerable amount of money. What's more, the interiors would be shot on the Warner Studios backlot. Much like Universal, Warner had a studio tour, and the set where Spartacus had been filmed was part of it. It had recently been renovated and would only require minor modifications for their movie.

It was a relief for Matthew not to have to shuttle between the UK and Morocco for filming. It would be much easier to see Britney, since he'd be in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

The rest of the plan mostly concerned the production and directorial teams and had little direct bearing on him as the lead actor. For now, the most important thing was to study the script and prepare for the shoot.

A top priority was training, from hand-to-hand combat to using an array of bladed weapons. The goal wasn't to become an expert, but to look convincing while wielding them on camera. Stephen was emphasizing a raw, powerful aesthetic over the kind of flashy, wire-fu duels that had recently become popular in Hollywood.

Matthew was ready to dive into the script, define his character, and start rehearsing some of the scenes on his own.

Meanwhile, news about the film was already starting to spread online and in the press.