Chapter 295: Dual Narrative

The Oscars are all about dividing the cake, but for now, they still have some pursuit of artistry and viewership, unlike some domestic awards that have completely abandoned their credibility.

Of course, as political correctness continues to spread, the Oscars are facing increasingly severe challenges. Whether it's demands from the Black community or the LGBTQ+ community, the Academy has to take them into account and respond accordingly.

However, for the time being, the Oscars have maintained their traditional "old white male" foundation without significant changes. Any real transformation would come only after the 2016 incident.

For Ethan, winning another major Oscar award carries great significance. His first win was backed by an outstanding original story, which only proved his ability.

But if he could win again and push several actors onto the awards stage, that would prove he is far superior to other directors and one of the best in Hollywood at balancing commercial success with artistic excellence.

After returning to New York, the VFX teams of Lucy:Final Curtain War began their intense post-production work.

Ethan then led the crew to Iceland for additional location shoots before finally wrapping up filming in New York.

With the film shoot officially completed, Ethan finally had some free time to spend a short vacation with his daughter, Elena.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" In the backyard, after getting tired from playing frisbee, Elena ran over with her short legs and curiously leaned against Ethan, who was lying on a lounge chair.

Ethan was half-reclined, with a laptop placed on an armrest-turned-table, resembling an airplane seat setup, enjoying the sun while typing.

"I'm writing a movie script." Ethan pinched Elena's chubby little cheeks, feeling the softness of her skin, and smiled. "Why did you stop playing?"

"I'm tired, Daddy." Elena plopped down beside Ethan, resting her legs on him. "Movie… script? What's that?"

"It's writing a story."

"Tell me!" The moment she heard "story," Elena's interest was immediately piqued.

Ethan wrapped an arm around her. As father and daughter lay on the chair, gazing at the blue sky and drifting clouds, he began telling her the plot of his new movie.

"This story starts with a struggling Black man named Franklin. He was born in a poor neighborhood where fighting and brawling were part of daily life. But he had a strong sense of justice and only fought to protect his friends. When he grew up, he joined the military. After a few years of service, he returned home—only to find his family being harassed. In a fit of anger, he beat up the troublemaker."

"But what he didn't know was that this man was rich. He bribed a doctor to falsify a report and had Franklin thrown in prison."

"His family was already poor, and with him in jail, they couldn't even afford the prison fees. Left with no choice, Franklin had to sign a loan contract with the prison and work off his debt."

Elena held out her small, fair hand. "Daddy, what's a loan?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow and explained, "A loan is a tool used by capitalism to exploit the poor. It's also a way for the rich to make money without doing anything."

"A tool…" Elena nodded, pretending to understand.

Ethan continued, "While in prison, Franklin met a hitman named William. But as a former soldier, even though he was now retired, he couldn't accept such a job, no matter how much money it paid."

"After his release, Franklin tried to earn money the right way, but it was barely enough to get by. Meanwhile, his parents were divorcing, and he had to take on increasingly dangerous jobs to make ends meet."

"Unfortunately, he still couldn't gather enough money in time. The prison sued him, and he was thrown back behind bars."

"This time, although his sentence was short, Franklin was forced to take out an even bigger loan. After finally being released, he discovered that his mother had been hospitalized after being beaten by his father and needed a huge sum for surgery."

"Daddy, will you ever hit Mommy?" Elena suddenly asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Of course not. I would never hit Mommy."

(Bedroom fights didn't count. Those were just… practice.)

"Desperate, Franklin thought of William, the hitman he once met. He tracked him down and joined his crew. After completing thousands of jobs, he finally made enough money to pay for his mother's surgery. But just when he was about to quit, he unexpectedly saw someone at a crime scene."

"And this leads us to the second main character—Michael."

Elena only half-understood but still guessed, "Daddy, is this the double story thing you were talking about?"

"It's called dual narrative." Ethan tapped her little nose playfully and laughed. "But I haven't fully figured it out yet, so I'll tell you more when I do."

"Okay, Daddy!" Elena said. "Can I go play with Oubao now?"

"Go ahead, sweetheart."

Oubao was a British Shorthair Munchkin cat. When Elena saw it at a pet store, she was so obsessed that she wouldn't eat or sleep properly until Ethan bought it for her. Now, she loved it to bits and played with it every day.

Luckily, the cat was very attached to her as well. Every time it saw Elena, it would rub against her legs, begging to be petted.

With Ethan's permission, Elena immediately jumped off the lounge chair and ran off to play with Oubao.

That left Ethan alone to ponder the script.

He had been planning this movie for a long time, rewriting the plot multiple times. Even now, it wasn't fully finalized.

But he had decided to use a dual narrative, showing the contrasting fates of a Black man and a White man. He had even incorporated elements from his own past gun-related incident into the experiences of Franklin and Michael.

Now, besides finishing the script, the most important task was selecting the cast.

Ethan had already chosen Scarlett as the female lead. Though not the protagonist, her role was crucial.

Next was the Black lead. He was debating who should play Franklin.

Will Smith was an obvious choice. His acting skills were solid, but his face was too recognizable. Still, that wasn't a dealbreaker—Ethan could wait until a certain event passed before releasing the movie.

Aside from Will Smith, Mahershala Ali was another strong contender.

Ali was an excellent actor who later gave brilliant performances in Moonlight and Green Book. His appearance fit the Oscar committee's preferences, and since he wasn't overly famous, he had better versatility.

As for the White male lead, there were plenty of options. Ethan decided to let the news leak and have actors voluntarily audition.

While he was deep in thought, Jessica suddenly walked over.

"How's the writing going, darling?" She sat beside him, placed a fruit plate down, and used a toothpick to pick up a slice of apple, offering it to him.

"Feed me," Ethan said, opening his mouth. Jessica chuckled and popped the apple into his mouth.

"It's going okay. I'm still figuring out how to structure the second storyline," Ethan admitted. Writing a fully original script for the first time wasn't easy.

"That's rare. You're actually struggling with a script?" Jessica leaned against him. "Do I have a role in it?"

Ethan hugged her. "If you want one, of course. But it might be a bit messy."

"Then forget it." Ever since having their child, Jessica's focus had shifted away from acting. She preferred spending time with Elena and had picked up new hobbies, becoming much more relaxed.

"What about Anne?" she suddenly asked.

"Her? She's not the right fit for this film."

"Well, make sure to explain that to her properly later. Oh, by the way, my parents are here. Let's have dinner together."

Hearing that, Ethan immediately sat up. "Yes, ma'am."

...

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