Chapter 254: Jackie Chan's Visit

[Chapter 254: Jackie Chan's Visit]

Jennifer Aniston and her friends had spent a few days at Moon Bay. By mid-September, with the first season of Friends about to premiere, they needed to head back to New York to prepare for the promotional work. If the show's ratings were good, they would continue to shoot a second season.

After sending them off, Link continued to vacation with Jennifer Lopez and the newly arrived Brooke Shields at the villa.

During this getaway, Link didn't lose himself in basketball every day. In reality, he spent most of his time in the villa's rooms reading, writing scripts, and handling work for his company.

In this period, he finished reading over thirty books, completed the script for his new film, The Sixth Sense, and adapted three new screenplays, including The English Patient, Catch Me If You Can, and A Beautiful Mind. He also wrapped up the scripts for Final Destination 2 and Paranormal Activity 3.

The English Patient, Catch Me If You Can, and A Beautiful Mind were based on published novels, with their copyrights held by Columbia Pictures. Link planned to adapt them for future projects as a collaborative effort between the two companies.

Additionally, after agreeing to direct Batman 3, he received a script from Warner Bros. This script was still a work-in-progress.

...

The outline had been set by Warner Bros., and the original director was Tim Burton. The script was crafted in a style that matched Burton's vision, with writers Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler collaborating on it.

This version revolved around Gotham City introducing two villains: one was Two-Face, who bore a grudge against Batman for being disfigured on one side of his face. The other was Edward Nygma, a scientist working for Bruce Wayne's company, who, after developing equipment capable of collecting human brainwaves, sought Bruce's approval for a research project that required living subjects, which Bruce ultimately denied.

Darkened by his rejection, Nygma transformed into the Riddler and sought revenge against Batman. Simultaneously, Batman found himself entangled in a romantic dilemma with Dr. Chase Meridian.

In a bid to get back at Batman, Two-Face and the Riddler teamed up to kidnap Dr. Meridian and Robin, Batman's sidekick, forcing Batman to come to their rescue. In the climactic moments, Batman triumphed over both villains, successfully saving Dr. Meridian and Robin.

...

Since this script wasn't finished, Link needed to make modifications to meet his vision. Once he finalized the script, he would submit it to Warner Bros. for approval. After that, they would create a budget. Once the project budget was approved, Warner Bros. would allocate funds, and Link could assemble his crew to start filming. Thus, a solid script was essential.

From a filmmaking perspective, the three original Batman series, excluding the first one, were considered inferior to the three directed by Christopher Nolan, exhibiting average box office performance and reception.

Link once contemplated scrapping the script entirely and diving straight into filming The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. However, Warner Bros. wouldn't entertain that idea; they required a direct sequel that continued the story from the first two films -- not a prequel or a complete reboot. A plan to disregard the previous two films was thus not viable.

Link worried that diving straight into Nolan's trilogy without fleshing out the narrative could alienate audiences, leaving them unprepared for the transition.

After thorough consideration, he opted to accept the script and intended to modify it according to his vision. With his current skills, he felt confident that crafting a Batman Forever that surpassed the original wouldn't be overly challenging.

...

Knock, knock, knock!

While he was deeply focused on revising the script, Jennifer Lopez knocked at the door, grinning, "Link, we have guests. Do you want to meet them now?"

"Who is it?"

"It's two guys from Asia."

"Oh, right, I remember now."

Jackie Chan had called the previous day, mentioning he wanted to drop by to discuss Rumble in the Bronx.

Link set down his pen and headed downstairs. Passing by the villa's outdoor pool, he spotted Brooke Shields swimming. The crystal-clear water reflected her porcelain skin and her golden-brown hair flowing like seaweed. She had a slim waist and long legs, a figure even more captivating than a mermaid's.

"Hey, handsome, want to come swim?"

Brooke swam to the shallow end, flipping her wet hair backward, revealing her striking features.

"I have some things to do. I'll be there later."

...

Link kissed her cool red lips at the edge before entering the sitting room to greet Jackie Chan and director Stanley Tong.

As soon as the two saw him, they quickly set down their teacups and stood to greet him.

"Don't stand on ceremony; please, take a seat."

Link waved them to sit and inquired about Rumble in the Bronx, which had finished production in July and was scheduled for release during the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong and Asia.

When it came to the North American release, they would need to wait for Guess Pictures' decisions, as it heavily depended on Link's input.

Thus, Director Stanley Tong and Jackie had brought an unfinished tape to gather his feedback and ensure the film would successfully premiere in North America.

Link took the tape to the home theater for screening.

...

The film wasn't fully edited and had some extra footage. After watching it twice, he offered a few suggestions based on the North American market perspective, recommending some adjustments to the dialogue and translation. He advised reducing the romantic scenes of the female lead, while suggesting more action sequences featuring Jackie, noting that American audiences preferred combat over romantic subplots involving two Asian characters.

He felt that a subtle romance would have little negative effect on the film.

He didn't elaborate on other issues, recognizing the mistakes he spotted were minimal. If he were the editor, watching it hundreds of times might yield a more polished final cut, but that approach wouldn't be practical for the budget.

Director Stanley Tong nodded while taking notes.

...

"Director Tong, I only watched it twice, so my understanding of the film might be limited. I might not be entirely accurate. How to edit it should be left for the production department to decide. The film is solid; I doubt it will underperform at the box office."

Link assured him.

"Director Link, if you say that, I can relax. Your eye for talent is unmatched; any movie you vouch for never does poorly at the box office."

Jackie responded with a smile.

"It's not that exaggerated; I've just researched a lot more than your average filmmaker."

"Link, you're far too modest."

Link chuckled, remembering that Batman Forever had action sequences which required a fight choreographer. He proactively asked the two to recommend skilled fight instructors, ideally someone versatile not only in kung fu but also in boxing and other martial arts.

Jackie and Director Stanley Tong recommended the Yuen clan.

The Yuen clan was the most experienced fight choreography team in Hong Kong, having worked on films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Drunken Master, Fearless, and Tai Chi Master.

Link expressed his gratitude to them.

...

After discussing work, the butler, Wailu, came in to announce that dinner was ready.

Link invited Jackie and Stanley Tong for dinner, while Brooke Shields and Jennifer Lopez dressed up elegantly for the occasion.

One of them wore a red evening gown, her golden hair and fair skin reminiscent of a portrait of a noblewoman.

The other donned a white long dress, her sun-kissed skin glowing like silk. Her long black hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and her tall, athletic figure exuded a wild sort of sexiness.

Both were in haute couture gowns perfectly tailored to their figures and personalities.

As Jackie laid eyes on the two stunning women approaching, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief, almost unable to look away.

Then he recognized the blonde beauty, suddenly excitedly turning to Director Tong, "It's Brooke Shields, the eighth wonder of the world! She's here too!"

"Shh."

Director Tong tugged at his shirt under the table.

Jackie snapped back to reality, realizing his outburst was a bit much, and sheepishly rubbed his nose.

Link laughed it off, casually introducing everyone, still referring to Brooke and Jennifer as friends.

Hearing that it was indeed Brooke Shields, Jackie swallowed hard, consumed by envy.

He enjoyed flirting but had never approached a lady like that before. Primarily, he felt intimidated because of their height and stature -- standing next to one made him feel smaller, and he couldn't quite handle it psychologically.

But Link was different.

With his tall, athletic build, broad shoulders, and well-defined muscles, even standing next to the 6' Brooke Shields, he wouldn't appear overshadowed.

Jackie couldn't help but envy Link's physique and strength.

At the same time, he recalled the task given to him by his mentor, to introduce some beautiful women to Link. Yet with Brooke and that stunning Latina model already on his arm, it was hard for him to see any interest in the lovely ladies of Hong Kong.

After a restful night at the villa, Jackie and Director Stanley Tong took their leave the next morning.

...

"This place is gorgeous. Someday, when I have the money, I'll also buy a place here."

Jackie said while gazing longingly at the retreating beachfront estate from the yacht.

"Why would you buy that? A house that big costs hundreds of thousands each year just in property taxes. Adding in maintenance, the salaries of staff, yacht, car depreciation, and other expenses, it easily comes to a million dollars a year. Can you afford it?"

Director Stanley Tong shook his head.

Jackie's brow furrowed, and his expression fell.

He was among the top stars in Hong Kong, earning five to six million dollars per film, or even up to ten million when the roles were right, yet he could only complete three films a year, leaving him with less than twenty million annually.

Not to mention affording such a mansion; even if he could, half of his income would go towards taxes and maintenance.

That was too extravagant.

"Don't envy Link. Just stay focused on acting and earning; eventually, you can buy a smaller place here. Even a smaller one would be amazing."

Director Tong reassured him.

Jackie shook his head, insisting that if he were to buy, it had to be grand; a small place wouldn't cut it as a vacation estate.

In fact, more than the mansion, he envied Link's ability to attract beautiful women. Landing a date with someone of Brooke Shields' caliber was a challenge few average men could tackle.

Link not only had Brooke at his side but also embraced a fiery Latina.

The image of Brooke's statuesque frame and that curvy Latina in Link's arms filled Jackie with deep-seated envy.

He took a deep breath of the sea breeze, resolving to work hard in Hollywood, make a name for himself, earn more money, and bag more gorgeous women.

*****

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