America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

At Warner Bros. Studios, in the "John Wick" studio, Martin met with a representative of the German sponsor, a brown-haired middle-aged man named Hoffman-Koch.

Louise had introduced both parties, emphasizing, "Hofmann represents Germany's Heckler & Koch Company in New York. After hearing about our project, he was adamant about meeting you in Los Angeles and expressed a desire to sponsor our film."

Facing someone who came to offer money, Martin naturally responded with a smile, making polite conversation, "HK Company's reputation is well-known to us all. I am also a firearms enthusiast, having used products like the MP5, USP, and HK rifles. They are more superior than American weapons."

"You flatter me, Mr. Davis," Hofmann said, not resembling a German at all but rather more like a Yankee who was good at doing business, "A few years ago, after seeing the video from Burbank Middle School, I knew you were an expert in handling guns."

Martin first spoke from the standpoint of an urban hero in Los Angeles, "It's just a shame, I couldn't save more people."

He continued, speaking of his own background, "I grew up in a poor neighborhood surrounded by gangs in Atlanta and once initiated the formation of the Community Defense Alliance. Only by becoming proficient with weapons and gaining strength can one protect oneself and those one cares about."

Seizing the opportunity to present a gift, Hofmann said, "On behalf of HK Company, I would like to gift you a complete set of our civilian products. Please don't refuse, the company will take care of all the legal formalities for you."

Martin gave the impression that he was very familiar with HK products, "Does it include your company's new HK416 carbine?"

Hofmann replied, "California has strict firearm restrictions, only semi-automatic civilian versions are available."

At this moment, Louise interjected, "Hofmann has come this time hoping to represent HK Company in sponsoring our film."

"I've discussed the film with Miss Mel and have read the script and seen some of the scene setups," Hofmann was straightforward, "Almost the entire film consists of explosive gunfight action scenes. After communicating with the company's headquarters, they are interested in sponsoring all the firearms used by the lead character that you will portray."

Martin glanced at Louise, their eyes meeting momentarily.

He had previously heard from Louise over the phone that when she went to New York on a business trip to negotiate filming locations, she didn't idle away her time; she also managed to bring back a sponsor.

Martin said, "Your requirement is that the male lead character I play uses the entire range of HK Company's products?" He was forthright, "In the script, there are many shots of the male lead picking up guns and shooting..."

Understanding Martin's point, Hofmann clarified, "The male lead's carefully prepared primary weapon has to come from HK Company." Of course, he understood the key to collaboration, "Apart from the weapons, we will also assist the crew with a series of shooting matters in New York, and provide a substantial amount in location sponsorship fees."

Martin looked at Louise, "I have no objections."

Louise said to Hofmann, "We will discuss the specific details of our collaboration tomorrow."

Hofmann, no longer talking about these matters, instead chatted with Martin about firearms and discovered that Martin was indeed an expert in using guns.

He suggested choosing this movie for HK mainly because of Martin; on one hand, Martin's commercial appeal was growing stronger, and on the other, Martin, as a city hero, had used guns to take out criminals.

While discussing firearms, Hofmann also tested the waters, inquiring whether Martin was interested in shooting a series of training posters and videos for HK.

Martin declined without hesitation – even in a place like America where guns were rampant, only public figures foolish enough would engage in such endorsements with firearms dealers.

As a movie lead character, using them was not an issue, but it wasn't acceptable in real life.

Martin and Louise negotiated a tentative cooperation agreement with Hofmann, and soon after, their subordinates finalized the specific terms. Besides providing gun props for the crew, HK Company would also contribute 3 million US dollars for the filming sponsorship.

This contract seemed to have made a certain contribution to the freedom of America.

"We expect our advertising revenue to reach 10 million US dollars," said Louise in the office, pushing up her black-framed glasses, "The sponsorship contract with Coca-Cola has been settled. They will provide 4 million US dollars in advertising sponsorship."

Martin asked with concern, "Do they have any specific requirements?"

Louise smiled, "You are the Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult, and Coca-Cola requires that at least one major action scene in the film shows you using a bottled Coke to take down an enemy."

This was within Martin's expectations, "No problem, I'll have Chen Hu focus on designing a similar scene to make it look even more spectacular."

Louise continued, "The costumes for you and Mene's characters, as well as other formidable assassins in the film, will primarily be dark suits. Brioni will sponsor all the suits."

She laughed, "And then there's Cadillac. The trigger for the male lead's revenge isn't just the dog, but also his vehicle, which must be a Cadillac. Additionally, the main form of transportation for you in the film will also be a Cadillac car."

Martin simply stated, "As long as the advertising sponsorship fee is sufficient, these are no issues."

Whether the car the male lead wants to retrieve is a classic Mustang or a Cadillac, it doesn't really make much difference to the film.

Martin was on the rise and quite popular, so he already had several brand sponsorships, which made the advertising sponsorships for the project particularly smooth.

Other brands like mobile phones and department stores were also in talks with the crew about advertising collaborations.

Of course, compared to super-commercial blockbusters like Transformers and "The Dark Knight," with their advertising sponsorship revenues exceeding 30 million US dollars, it was far less.

But within the realm of mid-sized productions, Martin was not quite Hollywood's top tier but could squeeze into the first rank.

In the end, it was Nokia that finalized the deal with the mobile phones.

The year 2008 was already approaching the final glory days of Nokia phones, and Nokia's requirements for advertising were consistent, emphasizing durability and such. If they could add shots of the phone resisting bullets, that would be even better.

Unfortunately, the Samsung bomb hadn't been released yet.

Martin had met with two directors, Chad and Nolan, in succession and had basically sorted out his schedule.

After the Oscar ceremony concluded, he would head to New York to shoot "John Wick," expecting to wrap it up in about two months. Right after that, it would be just in time for the start of the summer season, when "The Dark Knight" would kick off its proper pre-release promotion.

Related promotional groundwork, whether from Martin's side or that of the cast and Bale, had been continuously underway.

Before heading back to New York once again, Louise had sought out Martin and Chad.

The three of them formed the trinity of the "John Wick" project.

"There's something I need to give you a heads-up about," she said.

As Martin's status and commercial appeal in the circle continued to rise, Louise gradually became more meticulous about the way she handled matters related to Martin's work. Giving a heads-up in advance could save a lot of hassle.

She roughly outlined, "This time the crew is shooting in New York, with lots of street scenes, so we can't avoid dealing with New York's municipal authorities. An official in New York recommended his friend's daughter, hoping that our crew could offer her a substantial role."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chad was not opposed to this; Hollywood was full of nepotism, which was perfectly normal. He asked, "Would a role as a female assassin be okay?"

Louise replied, "It would be best if it's a positive character. I personally suggest having her play the leading lady."

Speaking of the leading lady, her role was actually quite minor, with most of her presence being limited to a photograph in the male lead's wallet and in his reminiscent memories.

Martin asked, "What's her background?"

Louise replied directly, "Her father has been a Federal Inspector in New York City for over a decade and has also held a position in the City Hall with a certain influence. He has many old connections spread throughout many departments in New York. If we include her in our crew, location shooting could become a lot less troublesome."

Adding to her point, she said, "She herself is an actress and has appeared in several TV series since 2002, and since 2005 has started engaging with the film industry, playing a number of significant supporting roles."

Martin said, "You handle the courtesies better than I do. You make the decision."

If it hadn't involved the leading lady, Louise wouldn't have brought it up for discussion. Seeing that neither Martin nor Chad had any objections, the matter was practically settled.

As for the fact that the actress was a bit young, that wasn't a problem in Louise's view. Not to mention makeup could solve that, the role itself had limited screen time anyway.

As the end of February approached, Louise and Chad led most of the crew on a chartered flight from Los Angeles, heading to Brooklyn Studio in New York, to make the final preparations for shooting "John Wick."

Martin was called to the hotel by Kate, and after a bout of furious activity, Kate began to rest and recharge, tuning herself for the upcoming Oscar ceremony.

The next day, the miserable man was subjected to a combined exploitation by Jolie and Aniston until the shells for his tank cannon were all spent.

Thankfully, Elizabeth was fasting and conserving for her first Oscar red carpet appearance. She didn't have the energy to compete for ammunition.

After resting for a day, Martin was reinvigorated.

On February 24th, he and Elizabeth topped up on a small amount of high-calorie food, got dressed in their finery, and took a jet-black Cadillac flagship sedan, heading straight for the Kodak Theatre.

The Oscar ceremony had reached its 80th year.

After queueing for a while, the Cadillac gradually approached the red carpet area.

Martin, seeing Elizabeth a bit nervous, pointed outside the window and purposely told her to relax, "See that red area over there? That's the Cola Cult's territory, and I am the Sect Hierarch, and you're the Holy Maiden. We'll be sharing a Coke with the congregation soon."

Elizabeth saw the red polo shirts and showed a sweet smile, "I know, it's your indispensable ritual at every red carpet event."

Martin smiled too, "And now you'll be joining it."

Elizabeth was visibly elated, her sweet smile alleviating the tension inside, "I'm somewhat looking forward to it."

As the car in front moved on and Colin Farrell walked further away on the red carpet, the Cadillac stopped before the carpet.

Martin got out first and turned back to escort Elizabeth out of the car.

Innumerable flashes burst out, so bright that they made it difficult to keep one's eyes open.

Martin took Elizabeth's hand and walked toward the Kodak Theatre.

The reporters at either side buzzed with speculation. "The playboy has a new girlfriend again."

"Seems like the youngest of the Olsen sisters, if I remember right, her name is Elizabeth."

"Yes, Elizabeth Olsen, Martin's new conquest."