Staying in the hilltop mansion in the small town of Cannes, Simon has been gradually clarifying the shooting ideas of "Batman" these days.
In the preliminary plan, a trilogy of "Batman" single-player films will be produced first, with the names following Nolan's "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises." However, in terms of content, Simon plans to adopt a completely different plot setting and pave the way for the entire DC movie universe through appropriate interplay with the "Superman" series.
If you want to realize the movie universe plan, the beginning of the first episode of "Batman" is crucial.
Simon actually has a shortcut that is sure to succeed, and that is to make the Joker the villain of the first film. As Batman's greatest enemy and the most popular villain in the Batman series, the two pinnacle versions of the "Batman" series by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan both used the Joker as the villain in the original time and space. No. The Joker, Batman's lifelong enemy, does have irreplaceable popularity and status both in comics and in reality.
However, after repeated consideration, Simon gave up this idea.
With the clown enabled, the first episode must have a matching atmospheric pattern. If the starting point of the story is too high, it will be difficult for the sequel to satisfy the audience's appetite. Repeatedly saving Gotham and saving the world can easily cause aesthetic fatigue. Therefore, Simon plans to put the Joker as the ultimate boss of the trilogy in the final episode.
As for the current opening chapter, Simon does not plan to spend too much time telling the story of Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman. Instead, it starts with the running-in process between Batman and the entire city after he began to do justice.
A vigilante suddenly appeared in Sin City, and the reaction and response from all walks of life including the people, media, officials, criminals, etc. At the same time, these branches will all revolve around the main story line of a high-concept model in which justice triumphs over evil. The villain appears, Batman defeats the villain, begins to gain recognition from the city, and the story ends.
Simon is hiding in Cannes to write the script of "Batman". In North America, this year's summer movie season also officially started in May.
On May 13, Paramount launched the seventh sequel of the classic horror film series "Friday the 13th". It opened on 1,796 screens that Simon envied, and earned US$9.8 million in the first week. Although the box office fell far short of the producers' expectations, compared to the film's ultra-low production cost of only $2.8 million, Paramount recovered most of its production and promotion budget in the first week.
Apart from "Friday the 13th: 7", the other two new films from independent producers did not make any waves. The second one was "When Harry Met Sally", which is also "When Harry Met Sally". After eight weeks of large-scale opening, it has officially been squeezed into the top spot at the box office next week.
In its tenth week of release, "When Harry Met Sally" collected another US$6.13 million, with a cumulative box office of US$90.12 million, and it continues to move towards the 100 million yuan mark without any suspense.
Although Hollywood has always been envious of Daenerys Films for producing the first film to hit a box office of over 100 million in 1988, Simon was not satisfied with this achievement. Paramount can arrange nearly 1,800 opening screens for a horror film with a production cost of only US$2.8 million. During the entire release process of "When Harry Met Sally," the number of screens failed to exceed 1,500. During this week's prime box office harvest period, the film was screened on just over 1,000 screens, which made Simon strongly feel that the traditional forces of Hollywood were deeply wary of and constrained late comers.
If "When Harry Met Sally" could get enough screen resources, the movie's box office would have definitely exceeded the 100 million yuan threshold, instead of being stuck at the current embarrassing figure of 90 million US dollars. Although it will not be difficult to break 100 million in the future, with the arrival of a series of new movies in the summer, the release scale and subsequent box office of "When Harry Met Sally" are destined to shrink rapidly.
Immediately afterwards.
On May 20, the first big-budget movie of the summer season "The Gathering" hit theaters. This medieval fantasy film based on Western mythology was jointly produced by MGM and Lucasfilm and used a large number of industrial materials. State-of-the-art special effects technology from Light and Magic Studios.
However, the reputation of this big-budget film, which cost 35 million U.S. dollars, was not satisfactory. "Variety" magazine commented that it was "a medieval version of "Star Wars" mixed with a lot of myths and fables. The story is old-fashioned and lacks innovation."
Due to the pessimism about the film's prospects, the distributor MGM only arranged 1,024 opening screens for "The Gathering", which is not even as good as "Friday the 13th: 7", let alone the upcoming "Crocodile Dundee" 2" and "Rabo 3", according to the publisher's public data, these two heavyweight new films are expected to open on 2,800 and 2,500 screens respectively. Such opening scale once again shows that full distribution The era has finally come.
Unfortunately, as the most watched new film this summer, "Pulp Fiction" is expected to open on only 1,500 screens. Simon has nothing to do about this, because this is already the limit of the screens that Orion Pictures can use. .
Moreover, the critical reputation of "Pulp Fiction" has been constantly changing in the period since its premiere in Cannes. The change in media trends in North America has been particularly obvious. Many well-known film critics have criticized the film's excessive violence and Simon's use of various A rip-off of a classic film.
The reason for this situation is actually obvious. Too many people don't want to see "Pulp Fiction" be too successful.
Simon had no way of finding out which party was causing the obstruction.
The release date of "Pulp Fiction" is June 3. Paramount Pictures' "Crocodile Dundee 2" and "Rambo 3" produced by Columbia Pictures' Tristar label were released in the previous week. There will be Fox's "Future" and Warner's "Funny Farm", and the following week will also include Disney's "Four Girls, Two Moms", Paramount's "Private Base", and MGM's "The Haunting of Hill House". .
In the past three weeks, only six of the seven major film companies have released new films. No matter how popular the schedule is, the total box office total in a single week is actually fixed. If you get more, others will naturally get less.
In this case, "Pulp Fiction" happens to be the most eye-catching one in a bunch of new films, and even Simon himself would not hesitate to beat the competition if possible.
Realizing this situation, Simon is no longer so optimistic about the awards results of this film festival. Neither Simon nor Orion can compete with the entire Hollywood Seven in terms of network resources. Others may just make a phone call and the award may be gone.
So it was not until May 22, the day before the closing ceremony of the film festival, that the organizer officially sent an application to retain the winning crew. It was not until he actually received the notice from the organizer that Simon felt completely relieved.
Monday, May 23rd.
On the last day of the festival, the main event during the day is the re-screening of all the films nominated in the main competition unit. At the same time, information about the crew members who were retained also appeared in the local media in Cannes.
Among the 21 films in the main competition, the crews of 5 films have been retained, namely Simon's "Pulp Fiction", Clint Eastwood's "Parker", and Kieslowski's "The Killing". Short Film,” Fernando Solanas’s “South” and Chris Menges’s “The World of Quarantine.”
Among the five films, the one with the highest demand for the Palme d'Or is Kieslowski's "Killer". Prior to this, the film had already won the FIPRESCI Award in the main competition unit. This is an award issued by the International Association of Film Critics that is completely independent of the organizers of the film festival and acts like a weather vane.
As for "Pulp Fiction", among the six major awards including the Palme d'Or, Grand Jury Prize, Jury Prize, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director, the outside world generally believes that the possibility of the Palme d'Or is unlikely, and the acting awards are even more No chance, the jury is unlikely to award the best director to Simon, a young man who is just twenty years old.
Then, the final result will probably only be the Jury Prize or the Jury Prize.
It was approaching seven o'clock in the afternoon.
Outside the Palais des Cinemas on the seaside of Cannes, compared to the bright stars at the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony was much deserted.
The crew of "Pulp Fiction" received a retention notice yesterday, and John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nicole Kidman, who had already left Cannes, flew over from the United States again. Others such as Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Madonna and Sean Penn did not attend the closing ceremony for various reasons.
Speaking of which, the fundamental purpose of this trip is to promote the movie. Orion will definitely have to bear the expenses. Simon's private jet bill will also be sent to Orion in the future. Of course, Orion cannot afford the hilltop mansion in Le Cannet.
Simon and his party rushed outside the Cinema Palace. The closing red carpet ceremony was coming to an end. Everyone quickly passed through the media channel and entered the Rubiel Hall in the Cinema Palace.
Perhaps it was a deliberate arrangement by the organizers that the seats of the crew of "Pulp Fiction" are adjacent to the crew of "The Gathering". This special effects film led by Lucasfilm will be the closing film of this film festival.
However, Simon did not see George Lucas. Only Ron Howard, the director of "The Gathering" and the leading actors and actresses Val Kilmer and Joni Whalley attended the closing ceremony.
After opening last Friday, due to poor word-of-mouth, "The Gathering" only took in $8.3 million at the box office in its first three days, far below the producers' expectations. The film can only hope that subsequent distribution through various channels will recoup the expensive production and publicity costs.
Simon has actually been paying attention to "The Gathering". Such a movie that uses the most advanced special effects technology of this era can provide him with a lot of reference for making "Batman".
Moreover, Simon is also very interested in Ron Howard, a commercial film director who is one level below Spielberg but very diverse. The two took advantage of the brief leisure before the ceremony to chat for a while, and even exchanged business cards.
At seven o'clock in the evening.
The closing ceremony of the 41st Cannes Film Festival has officially begun.
The host was still Matilda May at the opening ceremony, and the atmosphere of the award ceremony was as meticulous as the opening ceremony.
After Matilda May's emotional speech, the guests came to the stage, and the first award was the 'Technical-Grand-Prize'. Yes, the name of the award is called the Technical-Grand-Prize. This is also the number one award at the Cannes Film Festival. There are not many technical awards.
This marginal technical award did not come with a result envelope or trophy, only a certificate. While waiting for the actress named Jane Birkin to announce the result, Simon's heart couldn't help but lift a little.
If "Pulp Fiction" wins such an award, it would be a bit of a joke. This kind of technical award is actually a consolation prize, telling the creator in advance that nothing will happen to you next.
Good thing.
Jane Birkin quickly announced the results. Clint Eastwood's "Rookie Parker" was lucky enough to win this award, which was actually expected by many people. Seeing the old cowboy walking onto the stage with a forced smile, Simon applauded vigorously with everyone without hesitation.
After awarding the Golden Camera, Best Short Film and other awards, after a song and dance performance, Matilda May began to introduce the judges of the main competition unit to the stage. Many people in the hall also cheered up, because what was coming next was The most important main competition unit is the six major awards.
The judges sat on the stage, and the first one announced was the best actress. This time the result of the best actress award is the rare 'three-yolked egg', three stars in Chris Mengers' "Quarantine" Two leading ladies shared this honor.
The Best Actor award went to Forest Whitaker, the black movie star in "Rookie Parker". Simon remembered that he was one of the few black people to win the Best Actor Oscar. However, Forest Whitaker's presence in Hollywood has never been strong. Although his acting skills are very good, in most cases he can only play some inconspicuous supporting roles.
The organizers of Cannes obviously have no idea of arranging and combining the awards to control the rhythm. After awarding the best actor and actress, the best director was immediately followed. After Argentinian director Fernando Solanas won this award for "South", this ceremony only left the three most critical awards of the Palme d'Or, the Grand Prix of the Jury and the Grand Prix of the Jury.
Among the five works that were retained in the main competition unit, "Rookie Parker" and "Southern" have both been passed. The last three awards are destined to only go to "Pulp Fiction", "Murder Short Film" and "Quarantined World" Three movies.
The jury award was presented to the famous French director Louis Malle.
Watching the old man on the stage slowly introducing the award, Simon felt a small hand reaching out to press on the back of his hand, so he grabbed the woman's small hand and shook it, and asked Janet next to him in a low voice: "It can't be Is this it?”
Janet blinked in confusion, then shook her head: "I really don't know, Natasha didn't tell me."
The three films are ranked in terms of seniority. Kieslowski and Chris Menges have both been famous for a long time. "Short Film" and "Quarantine" are also good enough. "Pulp Fiction" fell to the last jury. Award, totally reasonable.
On the stage, Louis Malle finally opened the envelope, glanced down, and read out the result in the expectant eyes of everyone: "The winner of the Jury Prize is "Homicide Short Film", congratulations!"
Hua Hua Hua—
Amidst the applause from the audience, Simon clearly felt the eyes of many people around him.
From the very beginning, Kieslowski's "Murder Short Film" has been the most popular work for the Palme d'Or at this Cannes Film Festival. The film not only received the highest media rating of 4.6, but also won the main award, which can be called a bellwether. Competition Unit FIPRESCI Prize.
Now.
Cannes awarded the Jury Prize, the lowest of the three major awards, to "Homicide", and Kieslowski obviously missed the final Palme d'Or.
As for "A World Apart," this film that tells the story of South Africa's apartheid struggle has been able to make it to the present, mostly because of the aura of absolute political correctness of the subject matter.
Although the film director Chris Menges is a two-time Oscar winner for Best Cinematography, "Quarantine" is only his first directed film. Apart from the concept, this film is completely incomparable to "Pulp Fiction" in other aspects. compared to.
However.
Compared to Berlin and Venice, the Cannes Film Festival is the least focused on originality.
After Kieslowski gave his acceptance speech, French César Award-winning actress Sandrine Burnell came on stage to present the jury award. When everyone in the Rubiel Hall heard the name of "The World of Quarantine" , the ending is no longer suspenseful.
Chris Menges was still on the stage, and from the corner of his eye, Simon noticed some figures around the hall quietly leaving their seats and walking out in a hurry.
Next to Simon, Janet's face had turned red, and several other people also had obvious joy on their faces. After all, being able to leave their mark on a Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or film will definitely help their future careers a lot.
Even John Travolta, the A-list actor who quickly became famous with "Grease", can finally get rid of his embarrassing position as a youth movie actor after ten years of fame. The title of 'Dance King' is no longer appropriate for an actor who is already thirty-four years old and approaching middle age.
The last moment arrives.
The award guests this time were jury presidents Ito Scola and Natasha Kinski.
The double-yolked egg incident that slightly worried Simon did not happen. The two guests exchanged a few words, then Ito Scola opened the envelope, and Natasha Kinski read out the result that was no longer suspense: " The Palme d'Or winner was "Pulp Fiction."
Even though this outcome had been anticipated, there was a very brief but noticeable hiatus.
Then.
Warm applause broke out.
In the previous life, I could only be a silent bystander, watching the glory of others and the cheers of others. At this time, feeling the applause around him, even though he had been in a state of mind for two lifetimes and had too many people's experiences in his mind, Simon couldn't help but feel some excitement overflowing from his body.
After standing up and hugging Janet tightly for a moment, and then hugging and shaking hands with Travolta and others as well as the main creators of "The Gathering", Simon quickly walked onto the stage amidst the continued applause in the hall.
He stretched out his hand to shake hands with Ito Scola and thanked him softly. Simon saw Natasha Kinski next to him with open arms and came towards him, so he hugged the woman in cooperation.
but.
However, Natasha Kinski took advantage of the opportunity of the face-to-face gift to lean into Simon's ear and said directly: "Lend me the house."
Simon was also very straightforward. He smiled and whispered back: "I won't borrow it."
Natasha Kinski hugged Simon a little tighter, then switched to the other side and continued to touch each other: "Do you want to see me self-destruct in public?"
Simon actually wanted to see it, but considering the consequences of this woman going crazy, he surrendered decisively: "Borrow it."
Natasha Kinski hummed with satisfaction before letting go of Simon. The small actions between the two did not arouse others' suspicion. Even if they noticed it, they basically thought that Natasha Kinski was congratulating Simon.
After being pestered by Natasha Kinski for a while, Simon came to the microphone, pondered for a moment, and began to give an impromptu acceptance speech.