The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 618

Inside a large conference room in the Warner Bros. building, heavy black curtains blocked the sunlight from the windows, plunging the room into darkness. The image on the white screen was also pitch black, like a pool of thick ink.

Batman vanished into the shadows, taking all the darkness with him, determined to leave Gotham in the light.

Commissioner Gordon organized a manhunt for Batman, smashed the Bat-Signal, and branded him the Dark Knight.

Since the film's credits had not yet been added, the preliminary screening ended there.

The small projector was turned off, the curtains were drawn back, and the audience of about twenty people—including Matthew, Helen, Charles Roven, Akiva Goldsman, and a number of Warner Bros. executives—turned their heads toward Christopher Nolan and began to applaud.

Work on "The Dark Knight" was only about ninety percent complete, but that didn't stop it from being a magnificent film, one capable of capturing the imagination.

If asked, Matthew would say that "The Dark Knight" was in a completely different league from all previous superhero comic book movies. It was on a higher plane entirely.

As the applause died down, Helen whispered to Matthew, "This is nothing like 'The Matrix' by the Wachowskis."

Matthew nodded and said, a little pretentiously, "The Joker says everything that should and shouldn't be said, while Batman does everything that should and shouldn't be done. Life is a choice, and the age of heroes has passed."

Soon, a Warner Bros. employee distributed comment cards, as was standard practice at preliminary screenings.The purpose of these screenings was to identify and minimize any areas where the film might have problems or touch a sensitive nerve in the market.

Matthew wrote only a single sentence on his comment card: So good, not one second felt wasted!

In truth, he couldn't offer any real criticism. Aside from a few lines of dialogue that felt a little awkward, there was nothing wrong with the film. Christopher Nolan was exceptionally skilled at creating even these kinds of comic book superhero movies.

Recalling the few Nolan films he had seen before, and not even considering the balance between art and commerce, Matthew thought Nolan was undoubtedly many times better than the Wachowskis, who also enjoyed a stellar reputation in the field.

When the screening ended and the crowd began to disperse, Nolan approached Matthew, wanting to speak with him privately.

Since Nolan had to politely see off the other attendees, Matthew waited for a few minutes before they went to an adjacent lounge together.

"So good, not one second felt wasted," Nolan said slowly. "Matthew, you didn't have to exaggerate."

Matthew smiled and replied, "'The Dark Knight' is a great work."

Nolan hadn't expected such a statement from Matthew and seemed a little flustered. "I just wanted to make an unconventional superhero movie."

He then asked directly, "Why do you say that?"

He wanted to know why a man like Matthew would call this work, which hadn't even been released, "great."

Without a moment's hesitation, Matthew answered, "It's great because it communicates an idea to people, especially to those who look down on commercial films."

Nolan didn't quite understand and was forced to ask, "Why?"

This way, Matthew was also testing Nolan's intellect. "Instead of struggling to make a point in an art-house film, why not raise the standard of commercial films, like you've done with 'The Dark Knight'?"

Nolan couldn't help but laugh. "Many of my visions for films have to be backed by substantial funding."

"Warner Bros. is a good investor," Matthew replied with a smile. "You have a good working relationship with them, don't you?"

"Warner Bros. has always wanted to work with you, too," Nolan remarked.

They exchanged a few more words about the studio before Nolan got straight to the point. "I asked Charles to send you a script. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to read it yet."

Matthew nodded slowly. "I've read it."

He thought for a moment before adding, "The script felt a bit disjointed, complex, and ambiguous. That was my main impression after reading it."

"That was only the initial draft," Nolan stated calmly. "My brother, Jonathan, wrote it down based on ideas I dictated to him. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we didn't have time to properly sort it out before the script got to you."

"Unforeseen circumstances?" Matthew raised an eyebrow.

Nolan explained, "You have a full schedule, with two films to shoot and produce, and Paramount Pictures is planning to offer you the lead in their new film. The next two years are certainly going to be very busy for you. I wanted to reach out in advance, just in case we ran into scheduling conflicts if we decided to work together."

Matthew then asked, "When are you planning to shoot this film for release?"

"Filming will begin next summer," Nolan said, clearly having a plan. "With a release in the summer of 2010."

"The timing shouldn't be a problem," Matthew nodded again, then looked at Nolan and asked, "Could you clarify what this project is about?"

Although he had seen some familiar shades in the script, he wanted to be certain it was the same film he had seen before.

By the time Matthew and Nolan would be working together at this level, both sides would undoubtedly need to be completely sincere, and Matthew had already expressed his desire to collaborate.

Nolan also knew that the script, hastily faxed to Los Angeles and forwarded by Charles Roven, was a bit of a mess. After a moment of reflection, he said, "The theme and plot of the project revolve around the elusive nature of dreams."

He chuckled and added, "The script you were given, and what it was trying to say, is something I've been thinking about over and over again since I was sixteen. I finalized the general idea eight years ago, but by then the story had progressed much further than I could have imagined, touching upon the relationship between the true state of dreaming and a semi-conscious state."

Matthew nodded.

"I've always had a lot of strange thoughts. I'd often wake up naturally in the middle of the night and then drift into a light sleep, and in that state, I could often tell that I was dreaming," Nolan continued. "Even more peculiar sensations followed, and I was able to separate the stories within the dreams by memory."

At this point, Matthew interjected in a playful tone, "I feel the same way sometimes..." He gestured around them. "I've thought that I'm dreaming right now, that everything related to Matthew Horner in Hollywood has just been one wonderful dream."

Nolan smiled. "Indeed, Hollywood is a beautiful dream that those immersed in it never want to wake from."

He then returned to the topic. "The human brain can accommodate a full spectrum of realistic scenarios, and in my research, I have yet to encounter the limits of this behavior. It's like walking on a beach and being able to look around and simultaneously grab a handful of fine sand. I've tried to test this by manipulating lucid dreams, and my script is based on these common and relatively simple truths. So, my vision is that technology allows a person to invade another's consciousness and share the same dream at the same time."

Nolan's last remark was exactly what Matthew had gathered from the script.

"After I asked Charles to pass the script to you, I had a new idea for the film," Nolan continued. "Before that, I was planning to make a heist movie where the protagonist invades an unsuspecting person's mind through a dream and steals their thoughts."

He said slowly, "But a great director must strive for something higher. What has always interested me is the multi-layered penetration of someone's psyche, and simply taking something from there isn't compelling enough."

Matthew said honestly, "I think the idea is good enough as it is."

Nolan shook his head slightly and voiced his latest idea. "So I set a greater goal for myself. I envisioned a new mission for the hero: to plant an idea in another person's head. An idea that, under normal circumstances, would be met with resistance, but through their planning, it will take root and ultimately compel the target to act according to their needs."

Hearing these words, Matthew remained still, but a certainty gradually solidified in his mind. This was the film known as "Inception."

"You need to sow something in a person's mind to make it grow in a certain way, and you have to anticipate how it will grow in a chaotic manner..."

Nolan went on, "Of course, there are still many problems to solve with the plot and script. For example, the dream world must be so visually and sensually realistic that the dreamer is inside it without realizing it's just a dream. In this subconscious state, a person's deepest, most valuable secrets are revealed."

Matthew nodded slowly, then said with the utmost seriousness, "That's a brilliant idea."

"So..." Nolan said again, "I would like to invite you to join me and turn this idea into a brilliant film."

Matthew replied with genuine enthusiasm, "I love the idea."

After a pause, he added, "Christopher, I can't promise anything definitive without my agent present, but I really love what you've described."

Nolan, of course, knew the rules of the game. "I'll finish post-production on 'The Dark Knight' and then move on to this project. I'll send you the new version of the script as soon as it's ready."

"When will your production team be assembled?" Matthew demonstrated his sincerity. "I'll have my agent get in touch with you."

With a mutual understanding reached, the two men left the lounge, talking and laughing together.