So, after four weeks of fierce competition in the North American market, The Matrix narrowly emerged victorious. However, in the overseas market, The Matrix completely dominated Armageddon.
Liv Tyler didn't care at all that Armageddon had been defeated by The Matrix. After wrapping up her promotional schedule, she went straight to Melon Manor and stayed for a while.
One night, while Gilbert and Naomi Watts were sleeping, she snuck into their room and boldly declared, "I want my reward."
By East Asian beauty standards, Liv Tyler didn't quite fit the mold—her face was too long. But at 5'10" with long legs, she had undeniable appeal.
As a self-proclaimed leg enthusiast, Gilbert had no complaints. So naturally, he gave the girl her "reward."
To be honest, after getting used to her looks, Gilbert found Liv Tyler quite attractive in her own way.
Liv Tyler was satisfied. She had finally slept with Gilbert, giving her bragging rights.
According to her, the women around Gilbert were all part of his "wife squad." So she decided to form her own group—the "little lovers club."
After spending a few days at Melon Manor, Liv Tyler returned to her rockstar father, claiming she would introduce Gilbert to some beautiful women from the music industry to help him expand his "little lovers club."
Gilbert quickly put a stop to her nonsense. He wasn't some kind of walking cannon, conquering both Hollywood and the pop music scene.
Since the end of the third weekend of the North American summer box office season, Gilbert had been on vacation.
Aside from occasionally traveling to China to check on the preparations for The Lord of the Rings, he mostly stayed at his Los Angeles home in Melon Manor, opting not to take any extravagant trips.
Not long after he went deep-sea fishing with Leo and the others, he received a visit from Tom Cruise, who had personally accepted an invitation to meet with him.
"Where's Mary?" Gilbert asked casually, noticing that Nicole Kidman wasn't with him.
"Gilbert, you should be congratulating me," Tom Cruise said with a bright smile. "I'm going to be a father!"
"Oh?" Gilbert was surprised. "Mary's pregnant?"
"Yeah! We went for a check-up a few days ago, and she's already three weeks along." Tom Cruise enthusiastically patted Gilbert's shoulder, his excitement palpable.
Gilbert gave him a genuine smile and congratulated him. "Congratulations, Tom. You've finally fulfilled your dream of becoming a father."
Then he added, "But are you sure you don't want to stay with Mary instead of taking on a role in my movie?"
"It's fine. Mary and I talked it over, and she fully supports me taking on this role. I can spend time with her after the film is finished," Tom Cruise replied.
"Well, if that's what you both decided, then I won't argue."
Gilbert hadn't expected his butterfly effect to be this powerful. In his previous life, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise never had children together. But now, she was pregnant.
It was a bizarre turn of events.
And what happened next was even more unexpected.
Tom Cruise said, "Originally, Stanley Kubrick wanted to cast Mary and me in his new film. But since Mary is pregnant and you extended an offer to me, I turned him down."
"That's great news!" Gilbert clapped his hands in delight.
Seeing the confusion on Tom Cruise's face, Gilbert explained, "I've heard that Kubrick's health isn't great. He might not be able to complete the film."
"Yeah," Tom Cruise nodded. "That's also something I considered when making my decision."
Then, with growing enthusiasm, he asked, "So, when do we start filming?"
"No rush, Tom," Gilbert said, signaling him to be patient. "You need training first. Once the cast is finalized, you'll need to spend two to three months rehearsing dance routines to prepare for the role."
"No problem! I'm ready whenever you are." Tom Cruise accepted the challenge without hesitation.
For a dedicated actor like him, dance rehearsals were nothing. He had already prepared himself for the effort required.
Tom Cruise readily agreed to the role, even accepting a reduced salary of $5 million.
Clearly, he understood that this film was being positioned for an Academy Award campaign. At this point in his career, he hadn't yet grown disillusioned with the Oscars—he was still determined to win Best Actor.
With Tom Cruise and Naomi Watts on board, the film was only missing one more key role.
The offer for the remaining role was sent to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ever since Gilbert encouraged her, Catherine had returned to Hollywood and hadn't retreated back to the UK this time.
She took his advice, starting from supporting roles and patiently waiting for her big break. Of course, she didn't forget to leverage her brief romance with Gilbert for publicity, using it to gain some industry capital.
She wasn't landing lead roles in major commercial productions yet, but she was becoming a familiar face in Hollywood films.
This July, The Mask of Zorro, in which she played the lead, was set to hit theaters for the summer season. If it performed well, she'd finally establish herself in Hollywood.
However, what she anticipated most was Gilbert's invitation.
And finally, it arrived.
"Catherine, this is a musical. Gilbert directing a musical—do you think that will work?" her agent asked skeptically.
But Catherine was confident. "Gilbert clearly has the ability to branch out into different genres. Didn't he do a great job with The Sixth Sense?"
"But this is a musical!" The agent wanted to say, Is Gilbert crazy? Who even makes musicals in this era?
Catherine shot him a look. "You don't understand Gilbert at all. He's a mysterious and brilliant director."
The agent wanted to argue further, but she cut him off. "Enough. Accept the offer for me."
After the agent left, Catherine called Gilbert. "Are you at Melon Manor? Oh, you're not? No worries, I'll just head over there to find you…"
The news that Gilbert's next film was a musical hit Hollywood like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves across the industry and the entire country.
At first, people refused to believe it. But after confirming the news was real, they were left in utter disbelief.
Most thought Gilbert must have lost his mind. Only someone insane would choose to direct a musical.
Musicals had once had a golden era—but that was long gone.
While musicals were still being made, directors of Gilbert's caliber generally avoided the genre due to its high risk of failure.
As soon as Gilbert stepped out of Disney's headquarters, he was immediately swarmed by reporters who had gotten wind of the news.
"Director Gilbert, rumors say you're planning to bring the Broadway classic Chicago to the big screen. Is this true?"
"Gilbert, what are you thinking? Are you out of your mind? Why would you choose to make a musical, a genre that has long been irrelevant?"
"Will your version of Chicago be filled with action and explosions? Maybe have the two female leads wielding Chicago Typewriters in a shootout with slow-motion bullet dodging?"
The reporters' frenzy and their wild questions only proved how shocking this news was.
Following The Matrix, Gilbert was making a musical? To Hollywood and movie fans alike, this was the end of the world.
But in reality, Gilbert had deliberately let the news leak to generate buzz.
Though his goal was an Oscar, Chicago had the potential to perform well at the box office under the right circumstances.
So, even though the film was still in early planning stages, Gilbert was already stirring up discussion.
As the reporters surrounded him, Gilbert raised his hand, and the crowd instantly quieted.
"I do have plans to bring Chicago to the big screen."
The moment those words left his mouth, the press erupted again, louder than before.
With the chaos escalating, Gilbert couldn't say much more and had to leave under security escort.
By that afternoon, his confirmation had spread across North America. The entire country reacted as if an alien invasion had just begun—except, to Gilbert's fans, this was even worse.
"What is Gilbert thinking? The Matrix did well at the box office—it clearly has sequel potential!"
"We're doomed! Our genius director has lost it!"
"Someone, please snap Gilbert out of it! We need our summer blockbuster king back!"
Though some fans supported Gilbert's decision, they were in the minority.
After all, this was a musical. Many younger viewers had never even seen one before, so their skepticism was understandable.
However, Gilbert had already made up his mind, and he wasn't about to change course.
At the International Creative Management office, Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob were laughing hysterically.
"Did you hear? Gilbert is making a musical."
"A musical! Hahaha…"
They laughed so hard that tears welled up in their eyes, as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
After their laughter died down, Michael Ovitz said seriously, "What is Gilbert thinking? He's abandoning The Matrix sequel to make a musical?"
"I have no idea," Martin Bob admitted. "Honestly, this project seems even riskier than The Lord of the Rings."
"It looks like our so-called 'Son of God,' spoiled by luck, has lost his grasp on the market," Ovitz declared. "His career is about to go downhill."
"And that's good for us."
"Absolutely."
The two exchanged knowing smiles. Nothing more needed to be said.
Ignoring the storm of controversy, a small audition was held for Chicago in early June. After casting was finalized, the official lineup was announced.
Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, alongside A-list actress Naomi Watts—this was the level of an elite commercial production.
As for Catherine, the media barely recognized her.
Following the auditions, the cast immediately began an intense three-month training regimen in singing and dancing to meet the film's demands.
The production schedule was tight—because in order to qualify for next year's Academy Awards, the film had to be completed by December.
For the actors, this meant grueling, high-pressure training.
But for professionals like them, this was simply part of the job. No one complained or tried to back out.