Matthew looked up at Helen Herman and asked, "What do you think?"
Choosing a project based solely on the script is as unreliable as a film company greenlighting a project based only on the script. If you rush into it just because you saw the script, you might end up regretting it bitterly later.
An excellent script doesn't necessarily become an excellent film, and a bad script made into a movie isn't necessarily a bad film. Anyone who understands the film industry knows this simple truth.
"Let me put it this way," Helen Herman said, avoiding a direct answer. "From what I know, the day after Steven Spielberg received the script, he called Michael Bay to discuss the possibility of Michael Bay directing the film. Michael Bay responded at three in the morning."
Matthew nodded. "Steven Spielberg is very optimistic about this project."
"Mm," Helen Herman replied, adding, "DreamWorks is not doing well right now, and yet they plan to invest 120 million US dollars in this project, which proves the point."
Matthew remained silent, recalling the script again. Regarding clone films, he only remembered seeing *Clone Wars*; it seemed there were really no other Hollywood movies related to clones.
Thinking back on films related to Michael Bay, most of his memories centered on *transformers*, a super mindless popcorn series where each installment had more explosions, simpler plots, and less thought than the last.
If he remembered correctly, later Michael Bay only had *transformers* to rely on. He recalled that when *Transformers 4* and *Transformers 5* were released, the domestic media was flooded with criticism and complaints, all saying that Michael Bay had run out of talent.
In any case, the films by Michael Bay he had seen at the time were definitely synonymous with simple, mindless popcorn. Michael Bay himself was even given the nickname "Explosion Bay." His films never discussed profound issues; they were purely for entertainment.
But looking at this script, Matthew had some doubts. Compared to the Michael Bay films in his memory, wasn't the plot and the clone issues it reflected... a little too complicated?
Aside from *The Rock*, didn't Explosion Bay's other movies just take some ridiculous and melodramatic plot and blow things up from start to finish?
Thinking of this, Matthew immediately shared his concerns with Helen Herman, choosing his words carefully.
After listening to Matthew, Helen Herman
considered it seriously for a while, then said, "It does seem that way." She paused and continued, "I heard from someone inside DreamWorks that Michael Bay promised Spielberg that this film would strike a balance between entertainment value and the core of human nature. It seems he intends to delve deeply into many moral questions during this clone journey."
For some reason, Matthew felt a sense of absurdity. If Helen Herman's words were told to those who had watched the *transformers* series, many people would probably go crazy, right?
Matthew simply said directly, "I think... I think this whole thing seems highly unreliable."
Helen Herman thought for a moment and said, "It's possible Michael Bay wants to use this opportunity to transition."
Compared to Matthew, Helen Herman's judgment regarding scripts and various other aspects was much stronger; she could even be considered outstanding, and most of her decisions were quite accurate.
But Matthew could cheat. Even for films he hadn't seen, if the director was someone as notorious for explosions as Michael Bay, he could analyze whether the film would succeed or fail based on future events.
If the chance of failure was greater than success, given his current situation, there was no need for him to take the role.
Just as Helen Herman said, with the *pirates of the caribbean* series as a foundation, he preferred to hold out rather than settle for mediocrity.
"Helen..." Matthew continued, "During *pearl harbor*, Michael Bay also claimed he wanted to transition, but the result was..."
He changed tack and said, "I think Michael Bay's greatest talent is turning every genre film into a pure, mindless action flick."
"Do you have a plan?" Helen Herman asked.
"Yes." Matthew stopped beating around the bush and stated his concerns directly. "I think collaborating with a director who can turn anything into an explosive action movie is fine, but when that director wants to add profound content and incorporate a lot of humanistic thought into the film, that's terrifying..."
If Michael Bay were to direct *monster*, Charlize Theron would surely pick up a bomb after some struggle and blow her victims sky-high.
Helen Herman considered this for a long time and said, "Don't rush to turn it down. It won't be too late to make a decision after I gather more information."
Matthew nodded and said nothing more; he understood Helen Herman's meaning.
This was, after all, a major first-tier super production. Nowadays, Hollywood often produces fewer than ten films annually with budgets exceeding 100 million US dollars, meaning resources are extremely tight. Such an invitation is rare.
, if it weren't for the huge box office success of *pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl* and the popularity of Will Turner, he wouldn't even get this audition opportunity.
As a very confident Agent, Helen Herman couldn't hastily give up such a good opportunity just because Matthew expressed a few doubts. After all, this was completely different from Ridley Scott's project, which ran counter to Matthew's recent needs; the action sci-fi genre perfectly matched Matthew's current development requirements.
Matthew couldn't directly tell Helen Herman the source of his concerns, nor could he articulate it. He could only claim it was based on Michael Bay's past films.
This naturally reduced his persuasiveness.
However, he had already made up his mind: regardless of the information Helen Herman gathered, he would find a way to mess up the audition. After all, he was the one attending it.
When it came to genuine analytical judgment, Helen Herman was undoubtedly far superior to him, but the advantage he possessed was something Helen Herman could never have.
Although Michael Bay had a very good script this time, judging by the script alone, everyone knew that a good script does not automatically equal a good movie.
Indeed, without good creative material, even the most powerful director cannot make a good film.
But in this world where anything can become a drama, there is no such thing as an absolutely "bad subject matter," only generally "bad movies." That is to say, regardless of the subject, even if it is a universally acknowledged excellent one, many directors will botch the filming, and post-production editing will ruin it.
Throughout the vast history of Hollywood cinema, films that have ruined a good subject or a quality premise are everywhere. They might not be outright super flops, but they certainly cannot be counted as successes.
The phenomenon of good scripts failing to produce great films is common not just in Hollywood, but worldwide.
Clones are a good subject. If the script Matthew received had a simple, mindless plot, filled with indiscriminate bombing, where the lead actor rampaged like a cheat code and heroes never looked back at explosions... coupled with Michael Bay as the director, he definitely wouldn't have these current doubts.
Michael Bay dabbling in humanistic thought? Forget it.
Throughout January, Matthew's main work, besides preparing for *national treasure*, was still cooperating with Walt Disney Pictures' Oscar campaign.
As the date for the announcement of Oscar nominations drew closer, films, actors, and directors aiming for an Oscar nomination were constantly making media appearances and scrambling to attract the attention of the judges. Hollywood at this time was beyond chaotic, with various farces continually unfolding around Oscar lobbying.
Rather than calling it an artistic award ceremony, it was more like a money-burning game: whoever spent the most money generated the biggest buzz and received the most praise from the media and critics.
Almost all Oscar frontrunners were praising themselves and disparaging their competitors.
For instance, Charlize Theron, who was highly favored for this year's Best Actress, was criticized by a commentator on a television show: her acting range was appallingly narrow, she could do nothing but a poker face, and she always looked frigid both on and off-screen... If you wanted to slander any Hollywood Star, you could 100% find dirt on them.
Therefore, the PR battle before every Academy Awards Ceremony was also the season when the most celebrity scandals were exposed.
Matthew had plenty of dirt on him too; if calculated, it could probably pile up as high as Hollywood Hill. However, he wasn't actively participating in this Oscar game, and even though *pirates of the caribbean* was attention-grabbing, the main focus of attack was still on Johnny Depp.
Even Uncle Laden came to join the fun. Members of Al-Qaeda claimed they were planning an attack at this year's Academy Awards Ceremony, causing Hollywood to fall silent instantly. The FBI and the CIA took notice, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department also claimed they would provide the most comprehensive security for the Academy Awards Ceremony.
To this day, Walt Disney Pictures still hadn't informed Matthew whether they would secure him a spot at the Academy Awards Ceremony. Matthew maliciously speculated that if Uncle Laden really carried out an attack at the Academy Awards Ceremony, many minor Hollywood Stars would probably be eternally grateful to him.
Perhaps he himself could instantly leap to become a superstar.
Every year after the New Year, it is the reign of the awards season and the Oscar, with news about the Oscar dominating most film reporting space.
This is also the time for many old men forgotten by the audience to show their influence. For films and roles to win awards, they must first comply with a series of rules set by these people.
At the same time, this is their harvest season.
Helen Herman once told Matthew that young and still-active veteran movie stars earn large sums of money, but if they want to campaign for an award, they must take out real money to fund publicity and PR, which is then shared by a large group of people.
To some extent, this is also fleece-cutting.
This was just Helen Herman's personal opinion. Matthew thought she was exaggerating, or perhaps she was using this indirect approach to tell him that, given his style and career path, spending huge sums of money to chase awards wouldn't really benefit him much.