The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 280

"Summit Entertainment has a project that came highly recommended by the renowned screenwriter Akiva Goldsman earlier this year."

She looked at Matthew. "Haven't you been going to the gun club frequently? And you had systematic tactical training on the sets of 'Band of Brothers' and 'Black Hawk Down'."

"Yes, and for the record, I'm a pretty good shot," Matthew added, not missing the chance to praise himself, before asking, "Akiva Goldsman? I've heard that name somewhere."

Helen explained, "He's a famous screenwriter and producer. Not as big a name as Sean on the production side, but he's considered one of Hollywood's A-list screenwriters. 'A Time to Kill,' 'Lost in Space,' and 'A Beautiful Mind' are all his work, and 'A Beautiful Mind' even won him an Oscar for Best Screenplay. And 'I, Robot,' which is set to release this summer, is definitely going to be a hit. The screenplay is based on Asimov's original work."

Hearing this, Matthew got the picture: Goldsman was a major player in Hollywood.

It was the Hollywood credo: taking on a project from a proven success story meant a better chance of success and relatively lower risk.

"Anything more specific?" Matthew asked.

Helen nodded slightly. "Summit Entertainment has been planning this project since mid-January. Goldsman will be producing, the production budget is $100 million, and they're planning to hire established stars for both the director and the lead roles. Just last week, Goldsman reached a deal with Doug Liman, the director of 'The Bourne Identity,' to helm the project."

Matthew understood that, on paper, the project was solid. It had an Oscar-winning producer in Goldsman, a director with a box-office smash hit under his belt in Doug Liman, and an expected investment of $100 million.

All these factors minimized the risk of failure."The crew is already being formed, and pre-production has begun," Helen added. "But the three of them—Goldsman, Simon Kinberg, and Liman—are still finalizing the script. The open casting for the male and female leads is estimated to start no earlier than June."

Matthew looked at Helen. "Open casting?"

Helen nodded. "That's right. The actor's type, status, appeal, the box office performance of their films over the last three years, and their suitability for action roles—these are all factors the casting team will be considering."

"The competition will be fierce," Matthew mused.

"Goldsman is a friend of my father's, so I know him well," Helen replied calmly. "I'll contact him to see if we can get the script early, so we can assess the project's risk."

Even though the film's core team looked solid, no one could guarantee whether the role was a good fit for Matthew until they saw the script and the character.

Matthew knew Helen was always thinking ahead. Preparing early would give him more confidence down the line, and he understood that Goldsman's friendly relationship with her father would be an advantage if he decided to pursue the role.

Helen's voice came again. "We'll discuss the details when I have something concrete. In the meantime, you'll have time to keep practicing with your firearms. Those skills could be an asset."

Matthew nodded gently. "I know."

That was all for now. After all, the film was currently nothing more than an excellent behind-the-scenes lineup.

He had reached a point in his career where he needed to be more cautious in his choice of films. As his agent, Helen had to filter out the projects that were too risky or unsuitable, and the ones that eventually landed in his office for consideration were generally a good fit.

An agent's job was to sift through the potential duds and present him with the best options.

Of course, once an actor makes a name for himself, especially after a major success, film companies often approach him directly, as had been the case with several offers he had received recently.

For example, he had been invited to star in Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City," financed by Empire State Pictures. But after discussing it with Helen, Matthew had his doubts about Rodriguez, a quintessential B-movie director, and turned down the offer.

Matthew hadn't seen "Sin City," but after watching "El Mariachi" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," he could tell that Robert Rodriguez's style was far more unconventional than even "Dawn of the Dead."

Strictly speaking, while zombie films aren't mainstream commercial blockbusters, they've cultivated a massive pop culture following and aren't unpopular. However, Robert Rodriguez's two films were more akin to low-budget grindhouse movies from the 1960s and 70s, packed with disparate elements, devoid of logic, and designed to be as shocking as possible.

Later, Helen discussed some of the fallout from the media frenzy with Scarlett, which could lead to negative consequences in the short term.

The media and the internet were buzzing with rumors about Matthew's character and his playboy antics.

Matthew didn't mind. There were good men in Hollywood, but the majority of male stars were playboys.

For now, he had no intention of getting into another official relationship. But if he met the right person in the future, he would pursue her seriously, just as he had with Britney.

In a world as tangled as this, relationships were something no one could guarantee.

Helen then mentioned that she would try to invite Goldsman and Liman to the premiere of "Dawn of the Dead." The film was packed with action sequences of Matthew shooting and taking down zombies, which might impress the two of them.

While they waited for concrete news on how Goldsman's action film would develop, it was the perfect time to do some preliminary groundwork.

Helen was bold enough to do this because she was confident in the film.

Since the Oscars, Universal Pictures had held over five screenings of "Dawn of the Dead," including special sessions with journalists, critics, industry experts, and some fans. The feedback had been overwhelmingly positive, to say the least.

Even the Rotten Tomatoes score for "Dawn of the Dead" was unlocked early, boasting a seventy-nine percent approval rating, an average score of 7.5 out of 10, and a "Fresh" rating of eighty percent from the 46 preliminary reviews collected by the site.

This was an excellent reputation for a non-mainstream zombie film.

Matthew's performance as the male lead was well-received by the fan test groups, praised for showcasing human survival against all odds and a man's rugged strength.

Of course, "Dawn of the Dead" had its share of negative press.

The producer of the original "Dawn of the Dead" officially stated that he disliked the new film after seeing it.

"I worked on the preparations for Zack Snyder's remake. The zombie characters in the film moved too fast and weren't distinctive enough. I remember George spent a lot of time elevating the supporting characters to the level of the leads. The original film had zombie nurses, zombie baseball players, and a host of clearly identifiable zombies—they were no longer just background characters. But in the new film, they're all there just to highlight the main character, Matthew Horner. It has lost the biggest appeal of the film, which is about the zombies, not about Matthew."

Indeed, the zombies in the new version were no longer sluggish figures; their aggression and danger level were much higher.

It was a change made to suit the times; films always evolve, and to remain stagnant could only lead to death.

Furthermore, George A. Romero, the soul of the "Living Dead" trilogy, declined to attend the premiere of this version of "Dawn of the Dead."

All of this was bad news.

But no matter how much the purists of the old version despised the new "Dawn of the Dead," the film was released on schedule in mid-March.