America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

As Nolan appeared, the chaotic photography studio quieted down. Bruce brought Martin to a corner and handed him an ice-cold Coca-Cola, "Drink up. Having something sweet can help calm you down."

Martin took a big gulp of the cola, its icy freshness reminiscent of the beating he had just given Bale.

In the scene where Batman beats up the Joker, although Martin did not sustain substantial physical damage, he suffered quite a few underhanded blows.

Deliberately flying out and landing on the ground hurts too!

Not just physical pain, but also psychological harm, which kept him awake for two consecutive nights, leaving him no choice but to seek comfort from Elena.

Bruce seemed contagiously immersed in his role as well, "Don't worry, with me here no one can hurt you."

Martin plopped down on a chair, drank half the bottle of Coca-Cola, and took on the role of a spectator.

Bale was still lying on the ground, muttering to himself, "Don't! Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me..."

As if he had experienced a tremendous shock.

The crew's doctor rushed over, coaxing and cajoling to give Bale a preliminary medical checkup. Other than a few teeth that were knocked out, the other injuries weren't severe.

Martin had held back.

But the most serious damage sustained by Bale was not physical, it was psychological.

"Don't hurt me!" Bale covered himself tightly with his hands, "Please, don't hurt me..."

Nolan whispered something to the doctor and gave a meaningful look, which Emma Thomas caught on to immediately. She, along with Mene and others, approached the entrance of the studio, closing the main door of the photography studio as well as the nearby safety passage.

Another doctor came to Martin and asked, "Mr. Davis, you...?"

Martin pointed to his shoulder and chest, "It hurts." He then shook his head, "And I feel a bit dizzy."

The doctor quickly called for assistance.

Director Nolan was the first to rush over and asked, "Martin, are you okay?"

Martin shook his head, "Batman's punches are heavy." He suggested tentatively, "Director, I want to call the police. I was attacked, and the assailant was yelling about killing me."

Emma Thomas hurried over, crouched in front of Martin, and said, "Can you give us some time to handle this? We will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter."

Still in Joker makeup, his face pallid, Martin said, "Emma, Chris, I trust you. I won't call the police for now, but this can't just end like this."

Emma Thomas assured, "It definitely won't end like this."

Nolan turned to look at Bale, who was still muttering neurotically. There were a dozen crew members in the studio, and about the same number of extras, all of whom had witnessed the recent events. Not only had Bale been the first to strike, hitting Martin twice in succession, but he had also ranted about wanting to kill Martin.

Those actors from Atlanta were definitely on Martin's side.

With this in mind, Nolan couldn't help but give Bale another glance. The guy was really trouble, stirring things up to this level.

Or was it a case of being too deep in character?

Nolan suddenly had an idea, but it wasn't the right time to pursue it. He needed to deal with the current situation first.

While Martin was being placated on one side, Bale's situation was giving everyone a headache on the other.

His neurotic outbreak made him utterly unreasonable.

Emma Thomas did not forget to remind everyone in the studio that, according to their contracts, nothing that happens during filming is to be disclosed to the media without the crew's consent.

Bale was taken to the hospital.

After removing his makeup, Martin also went to the hospital for an examination, complaining of dizziness and discomfort in his heart, and he even ended up staying in the hospital temporarily.

Bruce went to gather information and came back saying, "Bale lost a few teeth, the rest are just superficial wounds. However, the doctor thinks he has suffered a major psychological trauma and needs to see a psychologist who specializes in mental health treatment. He can't be stimulated any further for now."

Martin nodded and asked, "What about the crew?"

"Emma Thomas has imposed a gag order, and Charles Roven and Aulin are on their way from Los Angeles," Bruce roughly explained. "Nolan might have some thoughts; he said he wants to talk to you alone later."

Martin was not surprised, "Nolan is not only outstanding in his directing skills but also has insights in other aspects."

And this whole drama was unfolding very much in Nolan's style.

There was a knock at the door, and Bruce went to open it.

Robert, with his slicked back hair and large cranium, entered the hospital room, set down the bouquet he was carrying, and asked, "Martin, you alright?"

Martin smiled, "I'm fine."

Knowing Martin well, Robert was sure he was alright. He immediately pulled out a disk and handed it to Bruce, "A video recorded by an extra on the scene. I took her camera as soon as she got out. She didn't have time to copy it; there's just this one copy."

Bruce secured it, "In case we need it?"

Robert was confident, "They won't have any problems. All Atlantans with families."

Martin said, "I trust you'll handle it well."

Robert added, "Jerome and Hart wanted to visit you, but I stopped them."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "If they want to come, let them."

Robert didn't stay for long and soon took his leave.

Bruce brought over a laptop and watched the recorded video, which had a clear angle and quality, faithfully documenting the entire incident from start to finish.

You could clearly hear Bale roaring, "I'm going to kill you!"

Martin said, "Keep it safe, hope we won't need to use it."

Bruce asked, "Do you think Nolan can handle all this?"

"With Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, it might not have been possible," said Martin, who had come to appreciate Nolan's capabilities beyond film making over the past few months, "The preparations I've made are all based on Nolan's way of thinking. He is a very formidable director. He won't miss a beat."

...

Several hours later, Bale's agent, Parker, walked into the offices of The Dark Knight crew at the Gray Film and Television Center and met with Director Nolan and producer Charles Roven.

"I've just come back from the hospital after visiting Bale. His condition is not good," Parker said, having received no useful information from the neurotic Bale. After relaying the situation back to the agency and notifying Bale's wife, he immediately came over to apportion blame, "The crew must take responsibility for all this!"

Nolan replied, "We will not shirk the crew's responsibility." He picked up the remote and played the recorded footage, "Take a look at the on-site video first."

Parker stood with his hands on his hips in a more imposing stance, "Regardless of what happened, the fact that my client was injured is established..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he was drawn to the video on the opposite LCD screen.

Bale came from the door of the studio and attacked Martin Davis first, then roared that he was going to kill Martin Davis. It was only after being attacked twice by Bale that Martin Davis was forced to fight back...

Parker's hands, which were on his hips, unconsciously lowered. What had happened to the crew? Had Bale gone mad?

Nolan continued, "Martin wanted to call the police, and I stopped him. It took a great effort for the crew to appease him."

Parker, staring at the video, heard Bale's almost insane howls.

He was shouting that he was going to kill Martin and even started a fight!

Nolan added, "Martin was also injured; he described feeling uncomfortable in his heart and has been dizzy. He's now being observed in the hospital. If he insists on calling the police, Bale is going to be in a lot of trouble."

He deliberately lowered his voice, "There were more than just the crew from Los Angeles on the scene; there were over a dozen temporary actors from Atlanta. Martin is originally from Atlanta, and if we let them testify, Bale would be at a very, very big disadvantage, and the crew wouldn't have any good solutions either."

Parker's attitude softened automatically, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Putting aside the fact that Bale was now mentally stimulated, judging from the video, even if Martin Davis caused serious injury to Bale in self-defense, it wouldn't be much of a problem.

In this matter, Bale was one hundred percent at fault.

Seeing Parker's softened stance, Nolan carried on, "I personally have a feeling that Bale and Martin became too immersed in their roles, and it seems that the animosity and hatred between Batman and Joker extended to both actors."

He first extricated the crew and himself from the situation, "I counsel both actors every day and check on them every half-day. The crew has also arranged for friends and family to visit the set to help them relax, but there seems to be some issues with Bale's family. Last time Hiby came to visit, the two had a severe argument."

As a director with exceptional filmmaking and producing skills along with other remarkable talents for the new era, Nolan shifted the blame back onto Bale.

Parker could tell that if he pursued the crew's responsibility, the crew might let Martin pursue Bale's liability.

"I won't report it to the actors' union or the insurance company just yet," Parker said, listening to the conversation between Martin and Bale in the video, "Bale didn't do it on purpose, I believe he and Martin both got too deep into character."

In the video, the dialogue between the two was reminiscent of Batman and Joker, "The relationship between Batman and Joker has severely affected both actors. Bale isn't the kind of actor who would intentionally harm others."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Nolan picked up the conversation, "That's what I think, too. The crew will cover all their medical expenses."

"It was purely an accident. Bale didn't really mean to hurt Martin, and Martin has always been friendly to Bale," Charles Roven added, "Everyone within the crew can attest to that, Martin has been very kind to Bale..."

Parker had already contacted some acquaintances within the crew upon his arrival, which put Bale at a disadvantage.

According to them, Martin always greeted Bale with a smile, enthusiastically introducing friends, and had a very friendly attitude.

Whereas Bale always faced Martin with a cold demeanor, showing hostility on multiple occasions.

Not just them, the temporary actors from Atlanta also had much to say on the matter.

Charles Roven spoke up, "What affected their relationship could only be getting too deep into character, with the conflict between roles causing this issue."

He had come prepared with a third-party guarantee. The remaining bits of Bale's action scenes could be finished in half a morning by stunt doubles donning the bat-suit.

Personal insurance and the like would have to be discussed further, especially depending on Martin's personal attitude—that was key.

Nolan remarked, "The crux of the matter lies with Martin. Once he calls the police, the trouble of the crew will be secondary, for Bale..."

"Let's talk about this later," Parker said, intending to gather more information.

But after making detailed inquiries, besides rumors within the crew, other aspects were extremely unfavorable for Bale.

If the incident was not handled properly, it could severely affect Bale's acting career.

That was, of course, provided that Bale's mental state could stabilize first.