Laila hadn't thought much of it at first, but the moment she heard Louise's words—and saw the expression on her face—she immediately understood that Louise had misunderstood her.
She chuckled and said, "Where did your mind go? I meant I just want to go head-to-head with him at the Oscars. Scheduling Blood Diamond for around March–April or November would be fine."
Only then did Louise let out a sigh of relief. That was more like the boss she knew! No way would someone as rational as her crash headfirst into a stone wall with an egg.
As for going up against Cameron at the Oscars—that didn't surprise her at all. Her boss had already racked up so many awards and rewritten Oscar history more than once. Facing off with Director Cameron again? No big deal.
Besides, even if Blood Diamond couldn't compare in terms of box office numbers, it would be a very different story come awards season. By then, Avatar might rack up a few technical accolades, but compared to Blood Diamond, which focused on the depth of human nature and rich themes, there was no real competition.
"Alright, then I'll discuss it with the distribution department. When do you think the final cut will be ready?"
Laila thought for a moment. "By the end of the year, most likely. At the latest, by February next year. Do as you see fit—this film isn't suited for a summer release anyway."
"I understand." Louise nodded. "Anything else? If not, I'll head back down."
"Wait," Laila called her back. "There's something I wanted to ask you."
It was rare to see her looking so serious, so Louise immediately straightened up. "What is it?"
"You've read the script I've been revising, haven't you?"
Since Louise always served as the producer for Laila's films, Laila assumed she'd already read it.
Sure enough, Louise replied, "I have. There's a lot of interesting and thought-provoking material in it. No wonder you brought Buddy to Hollywood—it's exactly the kind of script you'd like."
"It is," Laila said, folding her hands on the desk. "There are two male leads in it. One of them is already set for Roy, but I'm torn about the other."
Louise had always had a great eye for casting. Every actor she found ended up being a perfect fit for what Laila needed. That's why, when Laila couldn't make up her mind, she decided to ask her for input.
"This is a dual male-lead film. Roy's acting is unquestionable—it's because he's too good that the other role becomes so tricky."
Louise immediately understood what she meant. It was a thorny issue. Even she couldn't offer an immediate answer. If the casting was off, the whole film could unravel despite its promising script. Unlike Laila, she was notoriously strict when it came to actors. That's probably why she always managed to pick out the perfect one that even Laila found hard to choose.
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
Laila shrugged. "That's just it. I haven't thought of anyone ideal. Roy suggested Downey and DiCaprio. Both are strong actors, but… I don't know. Something just feels off with both of them."
Louise frowned in thought for a moment. "Sorry, I can't think of a better option right now either. Let me sit with it a while, and I'll get back to you."
Laila wasn't in a rush anyway. She nodded readily. "Of course. Take your time. We've still got months ahead. I won't even start working on the new movie until Blood Diamond is completely wrapped."
"Got it." After confirming there was nothing else to discuss, Louise left the office.
After she was gone, Laila was still pondering the casting issue. Honestly, both Downey and Leo could share the screen with Roy. They had the chemistry and enough mutual understanding to pull off that kind of frenemy dynamic—or, well… love-hate relationship? *No, that's not right—*they were supposed to be rivals and reluctant allies.
But something in her gut told her that neither of them would deliver the effect she envisioned.
Why was that?
What exactly felt wrong?
Laila opened her drawer and pulled out a business card. On it was a name written in Chinese characters, along with a number. She stared at it for a moment, then quietly put it back.
If it were that person, she was confident they could reach the level of acting she wanted—and even help explore the deeper layers of the film. But she wasn't sure if she should drag that person into her "vortex."
The reason was simple: this new film would be entirely her creation.
Granted, she'd long since stopped using existing Hollywood screenplays, drawing instead on creative ideas from her past life. The Lord of the Rings, for example, was based on the original book, but the version she made was radically different from the one that had originally existed, so much so that "night and day" didn't even begin to describe it.
But this new script was different. In her previous life, there had been no such film. She had no idea how it would ultimately turn out. Unlike her earlier projects, which all had successful precedents she could draw from—audience-tested storylines and proven genres—this one was a complete unknown.
Would audiences like it? Would it flop? She had no way of knowing.
And if she couldn't even be sure herself, how could she drag him into this mess? If, because of her, he ended up with a stain on his career that couldn't be erased, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.
So, after much hesitation, she closed the drawer again. There were still several months left. She'd wait until the script was finalized. Who knows—maybe Louise really would find the perfect candidate. Then she wouldn't need to wrestle with this anymore.
At that moment, The Dark Knight was officially pulled from theaters worldwide. As of last week, its global box office had crossed the 1.5 billion mark. Unfortunately, its momentum had run out. It barely scraped past the milestone before grinding to a halt.
When Laila got the news, she was satisfied with the result. Though she had a feeling the final push over 1.5 billion might've been artificially engineered by the studio. She wouldn't put it past them to have done a little "magic" to pad the numbers.
If it were another company, they'd probably do the same. After all, 1.49 and 1.5 billion were two very different numbers. If you could spend a few million to leap up a tier, who could resist that temptation?
The success of The Dark Knight once again thrust Laila—the so-called "living legend"—into the public spotlight.
That controversial post from earlier, which had been hyped for a long time by certain people, had finally lost steam and faded into the background amid newer topics.
It was true that the post had made some feel like they were finally seeing the "truth." But compared to Laila's massive fanbase, they were a minority. Their opinions didn't resonate widely enough to sway the public. Eventually, even those few critics grew bored and went quiet.