The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 560

With the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" coinciding with Memorial Day in the US, a long holiday weekend, Disney Pictures had enormous hopes for the film's box office prospects. It was set to open on May 25th in over 4,300 theaters across North America, a release 110 screens wider than that of "Spider-Man 3" earlier in the month.

The premiere was bolstered by a wave of positive press, from Depp’s announcement that he would marry his girlfriend, Vanessa, if the film performed well, to stories of Japanese fans fainting with excitement upon seeing him during the promotional tour in Tokyo. Meanwhile, North American critics were hailing his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow as a masterpiece.

Unlike the previous two films, and although Matthew and Keira were also involved in a series of pre-release promotions, Disney Pictures' marketing plan was focused entirely on Depp and Captain Jack Sparrow.

The reason for this was simple: just before the film's release, Disney Pictures gave pirate fans worldwide another jolt of excitement by announcing that renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer was already working on "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," and Depp had agreed to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.

The return of Matthew and Keira had not yet been decided, but for those in the know, it was already clear that Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann would be departing the world of "Pirates of the Caribbean."

On the day of the premiere, California Disneyland was overflowing, but not with tourists. These were devoted "pirate fans" who had arrived early in the morning to line up for the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean 3," swept up in the global pirate fever that the first two films had ignited.

The premiere was an unprecedented event. Thousands of fans had gathered as early as 6 a.m. to secure their spots, and some had even lined up at the Disneyland entrance the night before for a chance to see Depp and Matthew. Many of them were dressed as pirates, clutching toy sabers to celebrate the new film's release.

The long red carpet was lined with thunderous screams, but of course, the loudest were reserved for Depp and Matthew, the film's two biggest stars, whose presence drove the crowd into a frenzy. Many of the Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, had also donned pirate costumes to entertain the public.

Matthew walked the red carpet at once, holding hands with Alexandra.

After a brief interview, Matthew entered the theater. As they walked down the long corridor toward the VIP lounge, Alexandra suddenly remarked, "Doesn't it seem like Disney isn't taking you as seriously this time? You and your character have gotten far less publicity than before."Matthew had known about this for a while. "It’s normal," he replied as they walked. "It's not as if Disney Pictures won't need me for *Pirates of the Caribbean 4*."

In truth, it was about more than just the marketing. He had already seen the final cut at Gore Verbinski's studio, and Jerry Bruckheimer had warned him from the start that Will Turner's role in the film was smaller and less impactful than in the second movie. The narrative had shifted from its previous dual-lead structure to one centered entirely on Jack Sparrow.

In other words, following Elizabeth Swann, who had taken a backseat in the second film, Will Turner was now also being pushed to the sidelines.

Disney Pictures' goal was clear: it wanted to firmly establish Captain Jack Sparrow as the franchise's core, ensuring that all future sequels would be created exclusively around the captain.

From the studio's perspective, it was a logical move, and Matthew didn't say much about it. After all, he had no power to dictate post-production decisions, and the sequel was still bringing him a massive paycheck.

Of course, he did his part to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," but he wasn't nearly as dedicated as he had been for "Transformers."

"Hello, Matthew. Hello, Alexandra." Helen's welcoming voice came from beside them, and Alexandra smiled and greeted her in return.

Matthew glanced first at Helen, then at the middle-aged man in glasses who was walking beside her.

Helen gave Alexandra a subtle wink, who immediately said, "I need to use the restroom."

Helen made the introductions. "Andrew, this is Matthew Horner. Matthew, this is Andrew

Stanton."

Matthew immediately extended his hand for a handshake. "You're the father of Nemo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Andrew replied slowly, "I've always wanted to meet you, but I never had the chance."

"A while back, Helen said you'd be at the Disney-Pixar celebration, but I couldn't find you," Matthew explained. "And I've been busy lately, so I ended up putting off meeting you until today. I had to work with Disney Pictures' promotional plans, so I had to miss the reception. Why were you looking for me?"

Andrew smiled. "I read what you said about Megatron at the 'Transformers' announcement the other day. It really struck me."

He clearly wasn't joking. "I'm heading up the script for *Toy Story 3*, and your words about people saying goodbye to their toys were very insightful. I'd like for *Toy Story 3* to use that idea, if you don't mind."

Hearing this, Matthew was inwardly flustered, but he didn't show a hint of it. "Of course. I love Pixar Studios' movies."

This was the sort of thing that, in a place like Hollywood, someone could just take and use without asking, and no one would say a word.

"Then I'll say thank you on behalf of Pixar Studios." Andrew said this with a smile before changing the subject. He looked at Helen. "Did Helen tell you about..."

He glanced around, and seeing that no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and said, "I told you I wanted to adapt

*A Princess of Mars*. Are you interested?"

Instead of answering directly, Matthew said, "I've been carving out time to read the original lately, but I've been so busy with work that I haven't been able to finish *A Princess of Mars*."

Andrew nodded. "There's no rush. I'm rewriting the script."

Matthew wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that he was working on two scripts simultaneously; famous screenwriters often had junior writers working for them, with the head writer simply overseeing the general direction.

Matthew considered this. "*A Princess of Mars* isn't the best title, is it?

It sounds like a women's film."

He recalled how he felt while reading the novel—the plot was inexplicably familiar, almost like a mainstream YA novel at times. If the title wasn't even very good, a project like that had an eighty percent chance of being a fiasco.

"It'll be changed later." Andrew was sincere. "Matthew, I intend to turn these three Mars novels into a true interstellar epic trilogy."

The moment he spoke, his entire demeanor shifted, radiating an indescribable confidence. "I've drawn up a preliminary plan. The first film's production budget will be at least two hundred million dollars."

"Two hundred million dollars?" Matthew's interest was piqued. A budget like that qualified as a top-tier production in Hollywood. He asked,

"When are you planning to start this project?"

Andrew replied in a low voice, "Right now, I'm working on an animated feature film for Pixar Studios. After I finish it, I intend to start work on the trilogy."

He looked at Matthew and said earnestly, "It's a science-fiction action film. The hero is a powerful warrior, and no one is better suited for the role than you."

Matthew thought for a moment. "When you finish the script, could you send me a copy? I'll give you my answer after I've read it."

"No problem." Andrew smiled. "I'll keep in touch with Helen."