Less than a week later, the owner of the Burbank residence came all the way from Europe to Los Angeles to complete the property transaction with Matthew.
Matthew now owned a property entirely his own in America. According to old standards, for women, a man with a house was truly attractive.
Although he was gradually adapting to life here, Matthew was in a good mood after acquiring this residence, and he even gave this not-so-large house a name.
However, he couldn't think of any elegant names, so he simply named it after the ivy on its exterior wall.
From then on, the residence was called "Ivy."
On the very day Matthew named it, Zack Snyder, who was gradually making a name for himself in the film industry, came knocking.
"Finished your research?"
In the living room, Matthew poured Zack Snyder a glass of water.
Zack Snyder unzipped the briefcase he was carrying, placed it on the coffee table, and said, "I've thoroughly researched it. Frank Miller's graphic novel is very suitable for my style of adaptation!"
He took the glass of water Matthew offered, thanked him, and then continued, "The protagonist of the graphic novel, Leonidas, is a born hero; it's a role tailor-made for you."
Matthew sat down on another single-seater sofa and said, "I've read the graphic novel too, and I really like Leonidas."
"So, Matthew," Zack Snyder's previous remarks were a prelude to this, "Let's collaborate again! You understand my vision, and you know what kind of work I want to shoot! I also understand your strengths and know what kind of role will allow you to shine the most."
"Zack, I told you before," Matthew said very sincerely, "We share the same vision. If we don't continue to cooperate, God wouldn't agree."
"You're right!" Zack Snyder visibly relaxed, "We must continue to cooperate."
He knew that his vision was difficult to gain recognition in the industry. If he couldn't get a big enough star with strong appeal on board, these ideas would be difficult to realize, and he would end up making a film that wasn't his style at all, like 'Dawn of the Dead.'
Matthew got to the point and asked, "Zack, you've studied the graphic novel. Do you have any concrete ideas yet?"
Zack Snyder opened his briefcase, took out a few sketches, and handed them to Matthew, "I already have a framework."
Taking the sketches, Matthew flipped through them. These were enlarged storyboard drafts.
The color palette and background of the drafts were very, very similar to those Zack Snyder habitually used in his films, as Matthew remembered.
There weren't many sketches, only five, but when he saw the last one, his eyes lit up.
The few remaining warriors of the Three Hundred who fought to the end died in a volley of arrows; it was presumably Leonidas, the strong man, still roaring in defiance despite being riddled with arrows.
The content was ordinary, but combined with the unique color scheme of the sketch, it conveyed a tragic sense of passionate heroism.
In fact, Matthew felt more deeply about this sketch than the paintings at the art exhibition a few days ago.
Heroes aren't necessarily those who have the last laugh; the sketch depicted a massacre of Spartans by Persians, yet it was profoundly moving.
Aside from anything else, Zack Snyder's drawing skills were quite impressive.
Of course, this was just Matthew's opinion; in the art world, Zack Snyder's tragic sketches probably wouldn't be worth as much as a few inexplicable lines by postmodern painters.
Matthew stared at the sketch and suddenly remembered the information he had specifically sought out about the original author, Frank Miller.
Tragic heroic epics were the type of stories Frank Miller excelled at creating; his representative works were always filled with tragic heroes.
For example, in the acclaimed comic 'The Dark Knight Returns,' which underpinned an era of Batman legends, an aging Bruce Wayne had retired for years but was forced to return to fight various evil forces for various reasons.
One of the climaxes was the battle between the old protagonist and his former comrade, Superman.
The character type Frank Miller was best at creating was the tragic hero who, no matter how hard they tried, ultimately and hopelessly lost to fate.
They lost the final battle but won the hearts of the people.
Undoubtedly, Leonidas was this type.
"I contacted Frank Miller last month," Zack Snyder said, seeing Matthew's gaze shift from the storyboard sketches, "and asked him about purchasing the adaptation rights to the graphic novel."
Matthew immediately put down the sketches and asked, "Did he agree to sell?"
Zack Snyder shook his head, "Frank Miller refused me." He thought for a moment and explained, "I specifically went to New York last month to find Frank Miller and discuss cooperation, but Frank Miller was very resistant.
He said that '300' meant a lot to him, that it was the brilliant peak of his career, and he couldn't tolerate his masterpiece being adapted into a boring film like 'Troy.'"
"What about a higher price?" Matthew said directly, "We can jointly invest and buy the film adaptation rights to this graphic novel."
Zack Snyder shook his head again, "It's not about money. Frank Miller isn't short on money either.
Although buying the adaptation rights would definitely cost a lot, if we can't move Frank Miller, even if we offer a high price of ten million dollars, Frank Miller might not sell us the adaptation rights."
Matthew crossed one arm over his chest and propped his chin with the other hand, deep in thought.
Zack Snyder had discussed funding with Matthew before and knew he had a large sum of money.
If Frank Miller would agree, the two of them working together to buy the film rights to '300' would definitely not be an issue.
"Do you have any good ideas to persuade Frank Miller?" Matthew asked.
Since Zack Snyder was able to direct this film in the past, regardless of who the production company was, he must have convinced Frank Miller, and it's likely Frank Miller himself approved of Zack Snyder as the director.
"I have an idea, but it's a bit expensive," Zack Snyder looked at Matthew, and seeing no objection, continued, "Frank Miller's biggest concern is the stylistic issue after film adaptation.
So, as long as we alleviate his concerns in that regard, further discussions will go much smoother."
He picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and then said, "This is what I plan to do: I'll shoot a few scenes that are consistent with the graphic novel's style and let Frank Miller see them himself.
It might just win him over."
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "That's a good idea; it's a viable approach."
Zack Snyder put down his cup, smiled, and said, "The filming will be done with a green screen, and then a special effects studio will handle the post-production.
I can personally cover the filming costs, but I need actors—actors with excellent physiques."
Without even thinking, Matthew said, "Since we're going to work together, I'll be your actor."
Zack Snyder nodded, "Matthew, with you on board, the persuasiveness will be even stronger."
"How about this..." Matthew quickly made a decision, "My stylist can temporarily be used for makeup during filming.
We can hire other actors, and as for the location, my relationship with Disney Pictures is pretty good, so temporarily renting a small studio at Disney Studios for a few days of filming shouldn't be a problem."
He paused slightly, then added, "However, filming will have to wait a while; I have work to do recently."
"I know, you're preparing to shoot 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,'" Zack Snyder had been following Matthew's activities, as this was his biggest guarantee for making his ideal film.
"We can do our filming after you're done with 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith.' I also have some preparatory work to do."
Even though it was only for shooting a few test scenes, there was still a lot of preparation to do, such as renting cameras, designing sets, contacting special effects studios, and so on.
Zack Snyder saw that Matthew fully supported him and had made up his mind to try, even if it meant exhausting all the salary he earned from directing 'Dawn of the Dead.'
"Okay," Matthew considered for a moment, then added, "Zack, if you need my help with anything, just ask."
He also had his own calculations: if he could jointly buy the film adaptation rights to '300' with Zack Snyder, he would have some bargaining power when collaborating with film companies.
He might even be able to serve as a producer and bring capital to the project.
'300' launched Zack Snyder's career and allowed his typical Zack Snyder style to enter a top production like 'Batman v Superman,' so it's likely to be a box office hit.
He happened to still have a large amount of cash flow, and investing in a film he starred in should be somewhat feasible.
Of course, Matthew also knew this wouldn't be easy.
After all, even if they secured the adaptation rights, they would still need to impress other film companies.
He and Zack Snyder didn't have the capital or ability to produce a film independently, let alone the distribution, which was far more important than production.
In fact, the ideal scenario would be for Zack Snyder to impress Frank Miller, and then for Matthew's starring roles in 'National Treasure' and 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' to be box office successes.
This way, even if he didn't reach A-list status, he would be infinitely close, and a string of continuous successes would give film companies full confidence in him, making collaborations much easier.
Matthew and Zack Snyder talked for an entire afternoon in the living room, discussing many specific details.
Frankly, Matthew's professionalism outside of acting was quite poor, so after seeing Zack Snyder off, he immediately contacted Helen Herman and then went to the Angel Agency to talk with Helen Herman until close to midnight.
Compared to Matthew, who was a dabbler, Helen Herman was undoubtedly a true professional.
She also developed some interest in the project and planned to personally speak with Zack Snyder.
She also reminded Matthew that she would temporarily follow up on this matter, and he should focus his energy on the filming of 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith.'