America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 807 - 800: Warner Bros. Team Strikes Again

Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios.

On the first day of February, Studio One was temporarily transformed into a news center, with huge posters of famous characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Joker hanging at the entrance.

Most of them used the actors' makeup photos.

For example, Superman was Henry Cavill, whom Martin remembered from a previous life, Batman still sported Christian Bale's look from The Dark Knight, and the Joker was naturally Martin himself.

Then there was Wonder Woman, whose poster abandoned the traditional star-spangled outfit for a Greek-style armor, the actress being the recently photographed Jewish star Gal Gadot.

Except for Christian Bale, who was absent due to commitments, all actors and directors involved in the DC movie plan, including Martin and Nolan, appeared at this joint press conference hosted by DC and Warner Bros.

Dressed in formal attire, Martin entered the green room from the side door of the studio, where three people from the already planned "Man of Steel" crew were present: director Zack Schneider, lead actor Henry Cavill, and lead actress Amy Adams.

Martin had met Zack Schneider at a party at Nolan's house, who came over to greet him, and after a handshake and small talk, Schneider introduced him to the two leads.

The door opened, and Gal Gadot, clad in a long coat, came in, greeted the three individuals, then found Martin.

She was quite tall, much more so than in Fast & Furious, and had gained noticeable muscle for her role as Wonder Woman.

"We met at Vin Diesel's funeral," Gal Gadot reminded Martin. "I stood two people away from you, but it wasn't appropriate to greet you in that setting."

Martin vaguely recollected, "I remember now, there was Emma and Director Nolan between us."

Hearing the name Christopher Nolan, Gal Gadot quickly switched the subject, asking, "I wonder if Wonder Woman will appear in the Joker's standalone movie."

Martin replied, "They are not in the same world."

Gal Gadot commented, "These parallel universes are quite confusing."

Martin nonchalantly nodded, "I haven't studied the comics much, actually, besides Superman, Batman, and the Joker, I'm not very familiar with the other characters."

The Nolans and several other actors then entered the green room.

Martin suddenly noticed that Gal Gadot had greeted everyone except the Nolans.

Soon, he was sitting with Nolan, asking, "So, you were pulled in after all?"

Nolan nodded, "I'll be producing 'Man of Steel,' overseeing the first film in the series, and then I'll completely step back."

Martin looked over to Gadot and asked, "So, they've settled on the actress for Wonder Woman, is DC planning to proceed one film at a time steadily?"

Nolan glanced at Gadot's Jewish features and whispered, "She wasn't my choice; Zack recommended her, I rejected her, but DC went ahead with her hiring, considering the Joker project needed DC's green light, I didn't say anything."

He added, "She's not only Jewish but also Israeli, and I hear she's served in the military."

Martin immediately thought of the mess they had in Morocco, commenting, "Can't help it, there are too many of them in this circle."

Switching the subject, he asked, "What's DC planning now?"

Nolan shared, "Zack and I think alike, go down Marvel's path, start with the Justice League's major characters' individual movies," setting aside his grievances with the Jewish community. "But DC's co-chairman, Hamada, and the top executives at Warner Bros. disagree; they think it's too slow and can't keep up with the old competition."

He continued, feeling drained, "They think if they don't speed up, Marvel will completely overtake DC's previously successful position in the superhero movie market. Speed is essential."

Martin thought of the past movies and glanced at Schneider.

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Indeed, Snyder's capabilities were limited; without a lengthy script, he couldn't fully narrate a story, but with the Warner Bros. Team existing, that was unbeatable.

Nolan continued, "Warner Bros. executives and DC agreed, over Daniel's and my objections. After 'Man of Steel,' they plan to feature Superman and Batman in the same film, then directly launch into Justice League, pursuing a completely different path than 'The Avengers,' having the six major members of the Justice League work as a team first, then do their individual movies."

Discussing privately with Nolan, Martin didn't mince words, "Warner Bros. management is too impatient. Didn't they learn anything from the 'Green Lantern' fiasco?"

Nolan said, "Hamada and Kevin Shiyuan believe that compared to the secondary and tertiary comic characters in 'The Avengers,' the big six of the Justice League, led by Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, have huge recognition across America, and having individual movies isn't necessary as there are countless fans."

Martin reiterated, "Comic fans alone can't sustain such a huge commercial venture."

Nolan agreed, "But the Warner Bros. executives think it's possible." He shook his head, "After 'Man of Steel,' I plan to completely disconnect from the DC series."

Martin then mentioned, "Disconnecting from the DC Justice League Universe project, don't forget 'Joker,' you're still a producer there, and if possible, it'd be best if you directed it."

Nolan said, "No problem with the producer, but directing will depend on the situation."

The DC staff entered the lounge, inviting everyone to the newsroom to take their seats on the stage.

Martin and the Nolans sat together, remaining silent most of the time.

Because DC and Warner Bros. particularly emphasized the Justice League Universe plan, "Joker" was set aside and not given much attention.

The press conference was hosted by Hamada, and the discussion consistently revolved around the six titans of the Justice League.

On one side of the newsroom, there was a second floor originally used for overhead filming; Kevin Tsujihara and Charles Roven stood in front of a filming window in a room, watching the conference.

Charles Roven, one of Warner's most senior producers, adept in his field and not aligned with any Warner Bros. management group, quietly asked, "Have we marginalized 'Joker' a bit too much? Martin's version of the Joker is almost legendary among fans and is extremely popular."

Kevin Tsujihara shook his head, "Nolan's 'Batman' trilogy has concluded with no fourth installment; the popularity of the Joker, although high, is just a villain character. Without Batman as his arch-nemesis, his prominence will decline. How can a movie about a villain alone compare with our upcoming massive plan for the Justice League Universe?"

He spoke calmly, "Once the Justice League is successful, the series will have ten or even more films. How much box office and merchandising revenue could that generate?"

"A standalone Joker really can't compare with the six giants of Justice," Charles Roven also thought Kevin Tsujihara made sense.

As long as the Justice League is successful, even the combined efforts of Nolan's Batman trilogy couldn't compare.

Kevin Tsujihara continued, "If it weren't for our relationship with Nolan, Joker would have some profit potential, but Warner Bros. wouldn't push for another parallel universe's standalone Joker film."

In Charles Roven's understanding, the words meant something else.

The Warner executives wanted both the Justice League Universe and didn't want to give up on the easy profits from Joker.

Martin's version of Joker, with clear popularity, if executed well as a standalone film, definitely wouldn't garner low box office results.

As the press conference neared its end, the topic finally turned to the standalone Joker film.

Hamada announced, "Martin's portrayal of the Joker, which caused a strong reaction, has led to numerous fans petitioning online for a standalone Joker film. After careful consideration, Warner and DC have decided to initiate the standalone 'Joker' project, with Joker still played by Martin and directed by Nolan, with Martin also serving as a producer on the project."

He gestured toward Martin and Nolan, "If you have any questions, you can ask now."

A reporter from "Entertainment Weekly" asked, "Is this standalone Joker film a continuation of 'The Dark Knight' or part of the same universe as the Justice League?"

After glancing at Martin, the initiator of the project, Nolan said, "This 'Joker' is independent of the Justice League Universe, set in the world of 'The Dark Knight'."

A Hollywood Reporter journalist then asked, "Is it a story following 'The Dark Knight'?"

Martin put it simply, "The Joker didn't appear out of thin air, he's a person. This standalone film will explore why a person would turn into the Joker, becoming an agent of chaos."

Subsequently, more journalists asked questions, and Martin answered them as best he could.

Some questions, of course, couldn't be answered, as the project was only just confirmed to start, with only a basic idea and no script yet.

In Nolan's words, if this "Joker" could start filming within a year and a half, that would be considered fast.

After the press conference, DC and Warner held a reception dinner at the Burbank Hotel, where Martin and Nolan showed their faces and briefly interacted with Charles Roven.

As for Kevin Tsujihara, he merely nodded at Martin.

For the sake of Warner's performance, he could tolerate the promising "Joker" project, but he didn't want more interaction with Martin.

Kevin Tsujihara's sister, who is the wife of former Warner Bros. President Jon Berg, had no shortage of complaints about Martin.

Their personal relationship had long been broken.

That afternoon, the news of the "Joker" project spread online, drawing the attention of many Joker fans.

"God bless, the independent Joker movie is finally happening."

"In recent years, Martin's complicated relationship with Warner Bros. had me thinking this would turn into a 'never in my lifetime' series, but it was smoothly approved!"

"'Joker' will definitely become a benchmark for anti-hero movies!"

Not only were fans interested, but countless general audiences were also keen on this film; the impact of 'The Dark Knight' and last year's crowning of Joker was too significant.