Chapter 1086 Casting

"Hi Simon, how are you doing?"

"Busy, Brian, how about you?"

"Just back from New York, I went to see the Metropolitan Opera performance with Bob and the others. It was so beautiful. Martin also said that he planned to add it to his work in the future. "Speaking of Martin, he has not always thought about it all these years. Going to shoot Gangs of New York, I was about to talk to him. "

"Oh, that's really good news, Martin has been waiting for over ten years. Simon, if you're not kidding, I'll call him after this meeting?"

"Certainly not a joke."

In another conference room with a few sets of sofas and projectors on the walls that look more like a lounge, Simon and Brian de Palma exchanged a few words, and also had a few words with Ella Deutsch, president of Highgate Pictures. Mann and Linda Vargas, who has been with him for many years, greeted him briefly, and everyone sat down on the sofa together.

Straight to the point.

The project discussed today is called "L.A. Confidential", which is the third part of the famous American criminal James Allori's "L.A. tetralogy", and the first part of the tetralogy is based on the 1947 "Black Dahlia" is the adaptation of the Los Angeles 'Black Dahlia' murder.

After the first song became famous, Elroy wrote three other books of the same type in the same era.

As for the copyright of the Los Angeles four-part series, the earliest "Black Dahlia" was bought by Universal and refrigerated after producing an unsuccessful mini-series. After the CA merger, it was taken over by Daenerys Entertainment, "LA Confidential" " was completed in 1990 and purchased by Daenerys Entertainment.

The other two "Boundless Wasteland" and "White Jazz" were not very interested in Simon, and let other studios take them away.

Due to the inability to arrange it, it was not until the end of last year that "L.A. Confidential" was put on the agenda.

If Simon wanted stability, he could have pulled the original crew, but he didn't do that, and planned to have Brian de Palma as the director.

It was actually a somewhat risky decision.

Because the 2007 version of "Black Dahlia" was directed by Brian De Palma, there was a lot of scolding after its release, and the box office was also bleak. With an investment of $50 million, the global box office is only close to $50 million.

However, Simon has seen Parma's version of "Black Dahlia". Whether from the perspective of a filmmaker or an ordinary audience, this film is definitely not as bad as criticized by the outside world. It is amazing, and the amazing video records of the performances of Elizabeth Short played by Mia Kirshner in the film have made many film critics think that they have reached the level of Oscar nomination.

It can be said that Brian De Palma's directorial level is completely fine.

where is the problem?

script!

This can be described as the most direct reason for the failure of "Black Dahlia".

As long as he has watched "L.A. Confidential" and then "Black Dahlia", the blind can feel the producer's ambition to create a second "L.A. Confidential", whether it is character matching or story structure, imitating "L.A. Confidential" The traces of "City Secret" are too heavy.

So self-defeating.

What the audience wanted to see was Elizabeth Short, the murder of the black dahlias. As a result, the black dahlias case in the film was almost reduced to the background of the story. Instead, the focus of the narrative was repeatedly placed on the trivialities of the two pairs of male and female protagonists, without fail. I just saw a ghost. As for why this is the case, after further investigation, the director of "Black Dahlia" was originally identified as David Fincher, and the script had already been finalized. As a result, Fincher wanted to make a three-hour black and white film, and the producer was finished as soon as he heard it. , So Finch withdrew, and it fell into the hands of Palma, who had not been able to get out of the trough for several years because of the box office failure of "Mars Mission" in 2000.

Palma, who has been idle for several years, wanted to take up this job, and could only follow the producer's mind.

The results are predictable.

Let's talk about L.A. Confidential.

How about the original "L.A. Confidential", of course it's excellent, it's just a script that perfectly combines the structure of the three male protagonists, and the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay is well deserved.

It's just that the film as a whole is a bit of a slogan.

Just like a well-rounded dish, the overall level is not low, but there are some things that make people shine.

Therefore, Simon gave up the original director Curtis Hansen and chose Brian de Palma. In addition to the friendship that Palma helped him accumulate from the "Lola Run" era, there is also the hope that this film will be able to On the next level, on the basis of the original version, there are more Parma-style bright colors.

After thinking about this, Simon sat down and took a folder handed over by the girl a who had arranged for the Johnson sisters to come over quickly. While watching the female assistant distribute the documents to several other people, he asked Palma: " So, Brian, what do you think of the script for L.A. Confidential?"

"It's very exciting. Frankly speaking, Simon, I'm a little worried about whether I can control this project. I have roughly counted the entire script, including more than 80 characters with lines. In addition, excluding indoors, there are also more than 60 exterior scenes. It's a big test for filming and editing. I tried to reduce it, but I found that there is no superfluous place. Simon, this is definitely not done by the writer named Brian Helgeland, I think only you You can get to this level by writing it yourself, right?"

Simon smiled and shook his head: "I don't have so much time to complete a script myself, mainly because Airori's is good enough, but the outline is indeed my own.

Provided, and also let Helgeland rewrite and modify it several times before reaching the current level. "

"I've seen it," Brian de Palma said, after a while, but didn't continue. The talent of the young man beside him had been taught by him ten years ago, so there was no need to feel too much. And continue to the topic: "Simon, in my opinion, this script is a wonderful ukiyo-e in the 1940s and 1950s in Los Angeles, because there are many characters in the scene, the choice of the protagonist is very important, if their acting skills, temperament and other aspects can not support The story, the film is going to be pretty mediocre at the end. But if you pick the best actor, Simon, you know, it's going to be very expensive."

"Since you agreed to be the director, that's what we're discussing today," Simon said, gesturing to Linda Vargas, "I've asked Linda to start preparing for it some time in advance."

Linda Vargas, who had just sat down for a while, saw the boss motioning to her, got up and walked over to turn on the projector, and did not return, but sat near the console where a laptop was placed.

A picture quickly appears on the projection screen.

Nicole Kidman. In the photo, Nicole is wearing a close-fitting silver silk low-cut long dress, a fur waistcoat on her shoulders, golden wavy curly hair, and flaming red lips. At a glance, it gives people the dazzling feeling of an actress in the golden age of Hollywood.

Simon saw the people around him looking at the screen together and said, "According to my personal understanding, the greed, sin, corruption, depravity... The kind that makes people feel. The heroine Lynn Bracken, as a senior call girl, may not seem to have a lot of roles, but she is not only a key to the development of the storyline, but also the city of angels in this film. A symbol of everyone. It is also the reason why this role is shown first. Therefore, aside from the setting in the book, I think she should be the temperament of a golden age actress, which can trigger a man's desire to conquer and Protective, Nicole is one of the most satisfying to me in every way."

The original Kim Basinger, Simon really didn't feel it.

Moreover, Kim Basinger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for his role in "L.A. Confidential". Obviously, there are many elements of public relations. Not to mention other things, Julian Moore's performance in "Boogie Nights" in the same year is enough to get rid of Basinger is a few streets away, but unfortunately the producer of "Boogie Nights" was New Line Pictures, which basically had no public relations ability, and Julian Moore didn't have the strong connections and qualifications Basinger had in Hollywood, so he regretted losing.

Linda Vargas kept switching between Nicole's special poses for the film, Brian De Palma seriously appreciated the taste, and Ella Deutschman whispered to Simon: "Boss , Miss Kidman's salary should be too high?"

Since he planned to put Gaomen Pictures in charge, Ella Deutschman knew in advance that her boss planned to finish the film.

It's really stressful.

First of all, Brian De Palma's director's salary needs $5 million. Now, the heroine uses Nicole Kidman. The actress started from "Vulgar" to the later "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series Vase Girl The Lord reached the peak of Poison Ivy in the "Batman" series, and now the quotation for commercial films also starts at 5 million US dollars.

Even if Gaomen Pictures were in charge, "LA Confidential" could not be regarded as a literary film. It was a commercialized crime drama, and it was impossible to ask actors to take low salaries for literary films.

Simon shook his head slightly when he heard Deutschman's question: "Linda has communicated with Nicole for the Oscar supporting actress."

Lynn Bracken is definitely the heroine in "L.A. Confidential". However, because there are not many scenes, it is no problem to say that she is a female supporting role. The former Kim Basinger was the heroine who reported the female supporting role to get the golden statuette. , otherwise, if you sign up for the heroine, you will definitely not be able to play.

accept.

It's just that, before the filming starts, it is unavoidable to promise someone else an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

What if it doesn't work out?

Ella Deutschman thought so, and was more worried about the back.

If it's Nicole Kidman's level of casting, let alone a budget of 30 to 40 million dollars, 50 million US dollars may not be able to finish the filming.

Such a black crime drama film with a long duration and a non-popular theme will cost 50 million dollars. In addition, it will cost 20 million dollars to be released, and the global box office will take 1.5 billion to 200 million dollars to make a return.

Frankly, Ella Deutschman has no confidence at all.

Maybe it's better to shoot "Black Dahlia", after all, the copyright is also in the hands of Daenerys, and the reputation is much higher than "L.A. Confidential", which is easier to succeed.

Simon ignored Deutschman's concerns. He knew the budget for L.A. Confidential, mainly because Nicole was actually the biggest player in the movie.

After a few discussions, Palma also agreed with Nicole's casting, and Linda moved on to the next one.

Simon continued to explain himself: "Jack Vincennes seems to be a bad cop on the surface, slick and sophisticated, seeks benefits and avoids harm, and even wanders in the Los Angeles Police Department with a playful attitude, but he has not completely abandoned himself as a cop. The conscience of the two young men who took the initiative to help two young people to find the truth and died. This is a very complicated person, and I am inclined to play this role by Kevin Spacey, who had a very good performance in "The Seven Deadly Sins". , and last year won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for another "The Usual Suspects"."

Compared with the later "Black Dahlia", the former "L.A. Confidential" was the most successful in character selection. The three male protagonists, two of which were Oscar-winning actors, successfully propped up this film.

right

Simon is the same as the original Kevin Spacey.

As for the bad things about Spacey in memory, Simon can't control that much. If you care about them, there are not many people who can use them in Hollywood. Kevin Spacey is just picked out. Simon occasionally even thought that it might be better to find the Weinstein brothers who didn't know where they were at this time. After all, they were also a pair of talents, but thinking that the two brothers were too difficult to suppress, he gave up.

Except for Nicole, who had just been finalized directly by Simon, Simon did not make a decision about Kevin Spacey, but let Palma and Deutschman contact Spacey in person. If they were not satisfied, they really had to change, and If you can come up with an actor who satisfies Simon more, that's fine.

Next, Ed Eckersley, who once starred in Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe, who was actually the first male protagonist, played Bud White, but Simon did not force it. On the basis of the original two actors, he also recommended other actors. Several candidates, the standard is that the pay is cheap and the acting is good enough.

Among them, Bud, who is grumpy and has a cold side, is struggling and has a cold side. Simon recommended Hugh Jackman this time.

About to start shooting next week's "Contact in Time and Space", last year, I struggled for a long time for one of the original priest roles starring Matthew McConaughey. Simon didn't think Matthew McConaughey was like a priest at all, and finally found it in Australia. A candidate that satisfied Simon was Hugh Jackman.

Uncle Wolf, a gentleman, got up and played a handsome and graceful priest, which was more than enough.

However, Uncle Wolf became violent. He was 1.9 meters tall and had muscles all over his body. It was also more than enough to play a Bard who happened to be like this in the original book.

Of course, Wolverine has no shadow yet. Linda is showing the posters and shots of a TV series "The Window" starring Hugh Jackman in Australia two years ago. Stubble, tattoos, gloomy and cold eyes, and the shape can almost be used directly as Bud White. Compared with Russell Crowe, the temperament of youthful irritability and childhood trauma is more obvious.

In addition, Matthew McConaughey has entered Ed Exley's alternative this time.

Ella Deutschman began to think that Nicole Kidman was too expensive, but when she got to the back, she felt that a group of alternative actors was too low. After Linda finished her introduction, she said again: "Simon, Bud's role , I think I can let Pitt try, he is the first male protagonist after all," Deutschman added after seeing Palma looking over: "It's Brad Pitt."

Simon immediately shook his head: "Actually, I also considered that Pete's superman image is too deep, and if he wants to change the audience's potential impression, he must form a certain contrast, so I let him star in "Changing Face". If it was this movie, he would It's not suitable for the positive Bud, but you can try the role of Ed. The problem is that Ed is actually the third male lead, and he is not as important as Lynn, so Pete's position and salary are too high."

Deutschman said: "Pete took the initiative to contact me a few times. He has always hoped to develop his own way of acting outside of Superman. The salary is not a problem. Simon, let him try, Bud and Ed, take a look Effect."

Simon thought a little and said, "Spacey's salary is $1.5 million. If Pitt wants to participate, whether it's Bud or Ed, the salary can't exceed this figure, otherwise it will be ignored."

Deutschman considered it for a while, nodded and said, "It should be fine."

Simon smiled and said: "Then you'd better sign the contract before "Face Change" is released. I am very optimistic about "Face Change"."

If the new version of "Changing Face" starring Brad Pitt in the summer season is successful, the actor is equivalent to breaking through the shackles of "Superman" to a certain extent, and talking about the project is not so easy to talk about.

Deutschman understands.

Afterwards, several people discussed the details of the script, preliminary preparations, etc., and the time again seemed to be insufficient, and it was already noon in the blink of an eye. The key points that should be said have been pointed out, and the rest are left to Deutschman and Palma. Simon only needs to finalize some key points.

Because the discussion was too engaged, I left the conference room, and it was past 12 o'clock.

Simon casually invited Deutschman and Palma to have lunch together, and only reacted after going out, and a pair of little sisters were almost forgotten by him, so they could only shout together. However, when entering the executive-only restaurant of the studio, in order to avoid some topics being heard by the two little girls, Simon still sent Girl A to accompany them to another table, and sat with Palma and the others.

And so on until after lunch, while continuing the afternoon's work, Simon asked Linda Vargas to arrange a small audition for Scarlett's sister Vanessa.

The results were appalling.

Compared with her younger sister, Vanessa is only in better shape. In terms of performance, according to Linda's original words, it is similar to Wood.

Still, that wasn't a problem for Simon either.

Acting is something that most people have learned the day after tomorrow. Hollywood stars, who dare to say that they have never attended an acting class, are very few.

Instructed Linda to arrange the performance class for Vanessa, and Simon gave a small incentive. If the acting skills were up to the standard, Daenerys was preparing to get a comet hitting the earth blockbuster "Crash of Heaven and Earth" in a high school for girls The original character is the character of the original Lily Sobowski.

Um.

Speaking of which, Lily Sobowski is more in line with Simon's aesthetic than Vanessa.

It's not hard to guess the name.

I simply asked my casting director to look for it. The little girl is 14 years old this year, and she is also a child star. It is easy to find, so I arranged it and received it in the bowl in advance, so as not to

caught by others.