Chapter 494: The Joker, Incomparable Brilliance

"Where did you find these two guys?" On the way back to the set, Leonardo couldn't help but ask.

Martin replied calmly, "If you bloom, butterflies will come to you. They didn't come to me; they came to find me."

"F*ck, can you not show off?"

"Nope!"

Leonardo couldn't help but turn to Drew and Annie, saying, "I really don't know how you two put up with him."

Drew replied with a matter-of-fact tone, "He's strong!"

Annie said with admiration, "He's amazing!"

Leonardo, completely speechless, thought to himself, "I was wrong, really... It turns out I'm the odd one in this car!!!"

Martin glanced at the two women in the rearview mirror, feeling they weren't quite saying the same thing!

...

"Any news? Why doesn't Martin think highly of Kingdom of Heaven?"

In a café, Tom Cruise didn't even look at the expensive Blue Mountain coffee on the table but instead focused on the middle-aged man in front of him, his agent, Brian Kell.

Brian spread his hands. "No news. As I said, it's really hard to get any information, and Martin wouldn't be stupid enough to talk about it everywhere."

"Damn it!" Tom Cruise angrily slapped his thigh.

Brian continued, "But I did hear something. 20th Century Fox asked William Monahan to revise the script. Also, Brad Pitt is doing PR for Ridley Scott. They've already had dinner and coffee together."

Tom Cruise calmed down and began to think.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "Forget it. Let's go all in on this project. You also set up a meeting with Ridley Scott, and, oh, William Monahan too. I want to talk to them."

"No problem!" Brian sighed in relief.

...

In mid-May, Brokeback Mountain wrapped up filming.

On that day, Martin met with Christopher Nolan at the New Batman set.

Yes, the dark version of Batman's crew was already assembled.

In a conference room beside the studio, Ben Affleck was chatting with Katie Holmes, who would play his childhood friend in the movie.

It seemed like something Ben had said made Katie laugh so hard she was leaning back and forward.

Gary Oldman, sitting at the other side of the table, was reading through the script, occasionally murmuring a few lines to himself and occasionally discussing with Michael Caine, who played Alfred (Bruce Wayne's butler).

After reading through a few lines, Gary turned his head, about to say something to Michael, when suddenly...

Michael Caine stood up from his seat, looked toward the door, and gave a humble smile.

"Hello, Director Nolan!"

"Hello, Mr. Myers!"

Michael Caine's movement caught everyone's attention. All the actors in the conference room, including Ben Affleck, stood up to greet the two men entering the room.

Of course, they were mostly greeting Martin.

Katie Holmes, who had been flirting with Ben Affleck just a moment ago, now had flushed cheeks, eyes full of admiration, and looked as though she wanted to leap into Martin's arms to secure a worry-free life.

"Mr. Myers, Mr. Nolan."

"Hello, Mr. Myers."

"Mr. Myers."

Everyone greeted them enthusiastically.

Nolan and Martin walked to the front of the long table. Nolan clapped his hands and smiled at Martin, saying, "Alright, everyone, you've seen it. Today, I've invited Martin to join our script reading session. Let's all pay attention. As the creator of the new Batman script, Mr. Myers' understanding of the story and characters will obviously be much deeper. Let's hear what he has to say!"

Applause erupted.

Martin waited for a moment before raising both hands and gesturing for quiet. Once the room settled down, he spoke.

"Everyone doesn't need to be so excited. As the screenwriter of this film, I will be here with the crew for a while. After interacting more with me, you'll know that I'm actually a very approachable person!"

Laughter filled the room.

Martin continued, "Speaking of the script, I think everyone has already read the full script."

"The Bruce Wayne I've created is no longer an all-powerful superhero hidden behind armor and a mask. He is first and foremost a human, and during his growth, he will struggle with the complexities of humanity."

"This film is not just a simple popcorn movie. It is a movie that strikes at the darkest sides of human nature and society, showing the collision of different ideologies and personal philosophies."

"Darkness will be the tone of this trilogy."

"You might wonder, will such a film, so different from previous superhero movies, really perform well at the box office?"

"Believe me, it will. In today's superhero films, which are often homogenized, a unique dark-themed superhero film could even become synonymous with high prestige."

"Plus, the film isn't without commercial elements. Otherwise, all those futuristic gadgets, the exciting action scenes, gunfights, and car chases, would be pointless, wouldn't they?"

Laughter.

"This film will combine both commercial and artistic elements, and I believe Director Nolan will be able to strike the right balance."

"Alright, let's talk about the specific characters now..."

The script discussion lasted for three hours. Martin delved deeply into each main character and answered many questions.

Christopher Nolan was very satisfied.

If it had been any other screenwriter taking such a central role, Nolan, as the director, might have been upset. But—this was Martin!

Moreover, what Martin said aligned perfectly with the ideas Nolan had in mind, ideas that he hadn't yet systematized, giving him the joy of a pleasant surprise.

After the session, Nolan even took some time to discuss his thoughts on filming with Martin.

"I want to use more long takes for this film, to better showcase the inner struggles and changes of the characters..."

"As for the color grading, I'll go for a predominantly dark tone, though some shots will use an orange filter to soften the audience's emotions..."

"I can see, Martin, that you want to express some philosophical and ideological elements under the dark tone of this film, and I'll try my best to bring them to life..."

"And I've noticed that the villains in this trilogy truly break free from the stereotypical mold. They all possess the same level of introspection and philosophy as the heroes. Each villain has a tragic past, which gives Batman's no-kill rule a much stronger justification. This wavering of values and the contemplation of good versus evil will certainly be beyond what previous superhero films have attempted..."

Nolan became increasingly excited as he spoke.

During this process, he also cleaned up his own thoughts.

"Especially the Joker, I can't even describe his brilliance. This might become an innovation in film aesthetics—dark aesthetics."