The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 652

Given the car incident a few days prior, he had been keeping a low profile at his estate for the past two days. The script for the project was ready, and he could rehearse many of the scenes alone at home.

After running through a monologue, Matthew picked up the script and read for a while, continuing to rehearse his scenes.

Having worked with Stephen Sommers before, Matthew knew he wasn't overly demanding when it came to acting. Rehearsing the written scenes was less about performance and more about familiarizing himself with the script and the entire plot.

Since signing on with the production, he had read a great deal of information related to G.I. Joe, but it was a given that the film would need to adapt the source material. After all, animation and live-action film are two very different mediums.

Moreover, to highlight the role of Duke, the script didn't feature an overwhelming number of characters and deliberately left a great deal of suspense for a potential sequel.

Hasbro and Paramount Pictures were ambitious; they wanted to build a film series.

From what Matthew had gathered, they even had a plan—still just on paper—for a future where G.I. Joe would cross over with Transformers.

Whether that would ever come to fruition depended on the market's reaction.

While rehearsing, Matthew also stayed in touch with the director, Stephen, exchanging ideas. He had a good sense of what Stephen Sommers wanted to achieve with the film.

This, of course, was reflected in the script written under his direction.The script followed a typical Hollywood blockbuster formula: good triumphs over evil, and the world is saved.

According to Stephen Sommers's vision, "G.I. Joe" would be packed with high-tech gadgets and explosive action scenes—a minor skirmish every five minutes and a major battle every ten. The set pieces in this film were designed to far surpass its counterpart, "Transformers."

In reality, both Stephen Sommers and Matthew were clear on one thing: "G.I. Joe" was a popcorn movie, designed first and foremost to satisfy the audience's craving for action.

Of course, different directors and actors have different goals.

Matthew also learned another piece of news from Paramount Pictures:

"Transformers 2" was also slated for release next summer. Hasbro's two ace franchises were being squeezed into the same year.

However, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg hadn't asked him to voice Megatron again. Ultimately, they had paid him too much, and the live-action "Transformers" film had once again been a massive success.

Perhaps, he thought, if both films were in high demand, he would take the initiative and ask Stephen Sommers and Michael Bay to sit down and talk about making a "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" crossover.

As for that, Michael Bay would still undoubtedly be the director. In the last couple of years, "Explosion" Bay had developed a tendency to go all out. Since parting ways with Jerry Bruckheimer, he had been cramming his films with explosions and action sequences without a second thought for moderation.

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Five days after the car was spray-painted, word came from the Beverly Hills Police Department that the man who had vandalized the Mercedes-Benz SUV had been apprehended.

But that was far from the end of it.

After a police interrogation, it was revealed that the Hispanic man was Mexican—someone who had been smuggled illegally from Mexico into California. He had been in Los Angeles for about a year and a half, making a living as a drug mule.

Ten days ago, the man had accepted a high-paying job in Tijuana, Mexico, after which he crossed the border and was caught by the police on his way back.

One thing was clear from the start: being of Mexican descent, he had no connection to the previous underwear theft.

Second, he was just a hired hand, with someone else pulling the strings.

"It's most likely a Mexican drug cartel."

Sitting on the living room sofa, Helen maintained a calm expression. "The hired man came from Tijuana, and that place is a haven for drug traffickers."

Matthew sat across from Helen, resting his chin in his hand and frowning in thought. Hollywood had never been short on drugs, but he had never gotten involved with them, except for that one incident earlier in the year.

"Could this be connected to the drug dealers caught during the filming of The Fast and the Furious?" Matthew asked.

Helen nodded. "That's the police's leading theory."

After a brief pause, she added, "It was precisely because the film crew caught those dealers that the FBI and the California police were able to join forces with the Mexican authorities to dismantle that drug trafficking organization and destroy the tunnels they had spent a fortune building. But the organization was so large, some people were bound to slip through the net."

Matthew frowned. "So the ones who got away are coming after me for revenge?"

"There's a strong possibility," Helen continued. "Too many people were present when the dealers were captured. It would have been impossible to keep it a secret; the news was bound to leak."

"Do these guys know they're after the wrong person?" Matthew spread his hands helplessly. "Gal Gadot was the one who found them, not me."

Helen stated a simple fact. "Gal Gadot isn't a big name, and she went back to Israel after the shoot. The traffickers wouldn't be able to find her even if they wanted to."

Matthew nodded.

He had actually wanted to ask Gal Gadot out back then, but she hadn't lingered in Los Angeles after filming "Fast & Furious 4" and had flown straight back home.

"Could it be that it wasn't the drug traffickers?" Matthew asked.

"It's possible," Helen sighed. "But it's more likely them."

She cautioned him, "From now on, you need to increase your security and have professional bodyguards with you around the clock."

Matthew knew his priorities and didn't object, only shaking his head. "What a pain in the ass."

Helen's tone was as even as ever. "You don't need to worry. It's not like the Mexican cartels are running wild here. This is the United States. This is Los Angeles, not Tijuana!"

A cold smile flickered across her face. "Sewer rats will always be sewer rats. They can only survive in the dark. The moment they're exposed to the light, it's over for them. Matthew, don't take this lightly, but don't worry too much either."

Matthew said nothing.

Helen added, "The police and the FBI conducted a professional analysis based on the interrogation. If this really is revenge, it's more likely an intentional attempt to cause panic and create trouble for us."

This kind of thing really was a major hassle, not to mention that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class would have to be sent back to the company for repairs.

Still, Matthew remained sufficiently vigilant and cautious. After all, it was his bodyguard who had caught the drug dealer on the set of "Fast & Furious 4," and because of him, an entire trafficking organization had been destroyed.

Especially that tunnel from Tijuana to the U.S.-Mexico border, which must have cost a fortune.

After the hired man was caught, Matthew returned to his usual work routine, entrusting Helen and his lawyer, Wilson, to ensure the guy who spray-painted the car would face the harshest possible penalty.

In the following days, he didn't encounter any more similar incidents, and everything seemed to return to normal.

In preparation for the "G.I. Joe" shoot, Matthew had been in communication with Stephen Sommers, and he had successfully gotten Carolina's name on the audition list for the role of Baroness.

For her part, Carolina had also hired a veteran Hollywood military instructor for specialized training in basic military skills.

Under Stephen Sommers's direction, the project was moving along smoothly, and pre-production was already in its advanced stages.

Matthew briefly left the team and headed to Disney headquarters to attend a joint meeting with Disney, Skydance Pictures, and Studio 13, dedicated to finalizing the next phase of promotion for "Twilight."