The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 467

In the press room of the Fox Building in Century City, hundreds of journalists had gathered for the presentation of a new film from 20th Century Fox.

While it wasn't a top-tier super-production featuring A-list actors and directors, the launch was still highly anticipated. It marked the beginning of preparations for a project that would once again bring together two of Hollywood's most iconic movie monsters: Alien and Predator!

Following the box-office success of "Alien vs. Predator," directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the creation of a sequel was now officially on the agenda.

It went without saying that the names Alien and Predator were legendary, their influence undeniable.

And so, the director of "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem," Francis Lawrence, was the center of attention for the entire press conference.

After a few questions, a reporter from the Fox network noticed a gesture from a production publicist standing behind Francis. He immediately raised his hand, and the conference moderator promptly nodded in his direction.

The reporter stood up, took the microphone from a staff member, and, following what was clearly a pre-arranged script, asked aloud, "Director Lawrence, a few months ago you were attached to direct 'I Am Legend.' Why did you withdraw from that project?"

The publicist behind him gave a subtle cough, a cue Francis understood. He replied, "Initially, I believed that the film 'I Am Legend' would live up to the brilliance of the original novel. It was only after signing on with the production team and taking an active role in the preparations that I discovered things were not as I had imagined."

The press room fell silent, with only Francis's voice echoing through the hall. The journalists, who were certainly no fools, instantly understood that this was where the real story began.

Francis continued, "The more I learned, the less the 'I Am Legend' project interested me. It simply failed to impress me, especially when, for what is essentially a one-man show, they cast an actor like Matthew Horner, whose strengths lie more in action than in dramatic performance. I simply couldn't envision the film as it was being developed."At the mention of Matthew Horner's name, the press room erupted. It was as if every announcement made earlier in the conference was nothing compared to this one pointed remark from Francis.

Behind Francis, the head of PR and advertising for the production allowed a small, calculated smile to touch the corners of his mouth; this was precisely the effect the studio wanted.

Alien and Predator were indeed two of the most famous monsters ever created by Hollywood, but the era of their peak popularity was long gone. The modern youth audience paid them little attention; right now, their combined names had less draw than Matthew Horner's alone.

The sequel needed a new director after Paul W. S. Anderson, director of the first "Alien vs. Predator," declined to return. From a long list of candidates, 20th Century Fox chose Francis for three main reasons: first, he had experience with similarly dark films; second, he came highly recommended by the acclaimed director Spike Lee; and finally, his departure from "I Am Legend" and the potential conflict with Matthew Horner could generate the exact kind of hype that would give "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" a powerful promotional push.

The strategy was clear. Francis, by aiming his comments at Matthew, had just dropped a bombshell on the press.

Everyone could imagine that "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" and director Francis Lawrence would soon become a hot topic of discussion among Matthew's fans and the media at large.

Of course, there had to be a limit. The production's goal was simply to remind audiences that "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" was underway, not to truly antagonize Horner.

Francis stuck to the established strategy and concluded, "I voluntarily withdrew from directing 'I Am Legend' out of concern for the film itself and its leading man."

With that, he fell silent, and the moderator quickly announced the end of the press conference.

Hundreds of journalists grumbled as they exited the press room, gathering outside the Fox Building in the hopes of prying even more information from Francis.

Most of the journalists could see that Francis Lawrence and the "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" team were deliberately manufacturing hype, but they couldn't afford to ignore it. A story like this was far more appealing to readers than a typical production announcement, and Francis’s words strongly implied he had clashed with Matthew Horner during the pre-production of "I Am Legend."

****

A black car pulled up in front of the Fox Building. Flanked by several security guards, Francis ducked his head and walked inside, ignoring the barrage of questions from the press and the blinding camera flashes.

"From today on, don't answer any more questions about Matthew."

The man in the car with Francis was the production's head of public relations and advertising. He continued, "This is just the start of the publicity push. We'll save the most important parts for closer to the film's release."

Francis nodded slightly. "I understand."

Having lost the directing gig for "I Am Legend" because of Matthew, he now felt no qualms about borrowing the actor's fame to promote himself and his new film.

As for whether Horner would retaliate publicly...

Francis couldn't help but glance at the man beside him. The PR chief had mentioned earlier that a response from Horner would be the ideal outcome.

***

In the age of the internet, news like this spread like wildfire. Within just a few hours, the story was on countless entertainment sites, and discussion threads were already popping up on film forums.

"Do we need to respond?"

Bella asked, once she had finished explaining the situation to Matthew in his office. "This is already a pretty hot topic online."

Among the team of assistants she now supervised, there was one person whose sole job was to track news and developments concerning Matthew across the internet and in traditional media.

Matthew looked up from the documents he was reviewing. "What do you think?" he asked.

Without hesitating, Bella replied, "I don't think we should. My analysis of the situation is that 20th Century Fox and Francis Lawrence are simply using your name to generate hype. If we respond, it won't accomplish anything and will likely just give them more fuel to heat up the topic."

"Exactly," Matthew said, agreeing with her. "And frankly, Lawrence has a point. I'm more of an action star than a dramatic actor."

He was self-aware enough to admit it and couldn't help but smile as he spoke.

Bella added, "It looks like 20th Century Fox is intentionally controlling the narrative. What Francis said wasn't too insulting, and his comments directed at you weren't over the top."

Matthew spread his hands. "I'll probably work with 20th Century Fox again at some point. This kind of hype is standard practice in the business, and everyone involved is careful not to cross any real lines."

Bella nodded gently. "There's no need for us to get into a conflict with 20th Century Fox and Francis. That's exactly what they want."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "For now, just monitor the situation. Let me and Helen know if Lawrence takes his comments too far."

"Got it."

Bella looked at Matthew and asked, "The company on this floor, the one next to ours, went bankrupt. Since our staff is growing, should we consider renting out their space?"

Matthew turned his head, his eyes scanning the office. Besides him and Bella Anderson, there were five other people working in the space.

He was now firmly established in the upper echelon of Hollywood, and while he was still far from being a true superstar, he had broken into the exclusive $20 million-per-film club. There was no need to be as frugal with office space as he had been in the past.

Besides, as the boss, it was a bit unseemly for him to be crammed into the same open space as all his employees.

"Let's rent it," Matthew decided quickly. "And make sure to set up a separate office for me."

He tapped a finger on the monitor on his desk. "And get me a new computer; this one is obsolete."

Bella jotted it all down in her notebook.

Matthew then remembered something else. "There are a few encrypted video files on this computer," he said. "Copy them and make sure they're saved."

Bella shot Matthew a discreet glance. Could it be a video with Britney? she wondered. No, he and Britney broke up long before he rented this office. Could it be another actress?*

Though her mind was racing with wild speculation, she let none of it show on her face. As a personal assistant, she knew when to keep her thoughts to herself.

Matthew paid no mind to Francis's comments and had no intention of responding.

However, Matthew had countless fans across North America, and they certainly weren't going to let Lawrence get away with it so easily. Even some neutral film buffs couldn't resist joining the fray, flooding Francis’s personal blog with scathing comments.

"Good thing you quit the project. Otherwise, you would have ruined Matthew's new movie!"

"Director Lawrence backed out of 'I Am Legend,' and Warner Bros. managed to avoid the risk of bankruptcy!"