A great opportunity

It was "The Amazing Spider-Man"! This was absolutely a project that exceeded his expectations.

What amazed Renly wasn't the project itself, but the fact that Sony Pictures had so openly announced auditions for such a top-tier work, inviting all actors to participate. This was undoubtedly news that would shake all of Hollywood, no wonder Lisa had been so mysterious earlier.

As widely known, the 2002 release of "Spider-Man" was groundbreaking. It wasn't just the first film in history to earn over a hundred million dollars in its opening weekend; it also revitalized the comic book movie genre, ushering in the era of blockbusters and the powerful rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Over the past few years, the "Spider-Man" trilogy had achieved numerous enviable records, making it one of the most successful film series of the 21st century. At present, Spider-Man was the only superhero on the market who could be mentioned in the same breath as Superman and Batman in terms of brand value. Among the younger generation, Spider-Man's appeal even seemed to surpass the others.

After "Spider-Man 3" concluded in 2007, Sony Pictures never gave up on developing the series further. With the strong emergence of "Iron Man", the plans for "Spider-Man 4" naturally surfaced. However, the director of the series, Sam Raimi, believed that the franchise had lost its vitality and needed a complete reboot rather than just sequels.

Thus, "The Amazing Spider-Man" was born.

Typically, projects with budgets exceeding a hundred million dollars attracted intense interest and struggle, and all resources were tightly controlled by the five major talent agencies. Just like "Thor", only a tiny portion of the population could gain access to such projects. The exchange of interests and utilization of connections were the keys determining the cast.

But now, Sony Pictures had generously unveiled the "The Amazing Spider-Man" project, even selecting the lead actors!

To say "The Amazing Spider-Man" was a project capable of enticing any young actor to join wasn't an exaggeration. With a budget of 230 million, the success of the previous installments, Sony Pictures' strong support, and the immense attention garnered, all of this could make the project the centerpiece of attention, driving countless young actors to pursue it.

Compared to this, the entire scale of "Thor" had downsized by a factor. Whether it was the investment amount or the work itself, there was no comparison. Not to mention Lisa; even the top-tier agents who had seen it all would undoubtedly stir up.

Renly had to admit that Sony Pictures executed this promotional strategy quite brilliantly. "The Amazing Spider-Man" had yet to start filming, and news of casting for the male lead was bound to attract intense coverage from major media outlets, initiating the first wave of publicity for the film.

As for the final selection of actors, it was likely to come from among the newcomers in the hands of these big-name agents. For instance, the Andrew Garfield who had the last laugh in his previous life. Sony Pictures had garnered the spotlight and the benefits, winning on all fronts and securing an invulnerable position.

However, Renly had turned down "Thor" and naturally wasn't interested in "The Amazing Spider-Man" either.

Firstly, both of these series shared the same essence and didn't have much differentiation. If Renly himself were to choose a superhero, he would be most interested in Deadpool from the "X-Men" series, Star-Lord from "Guardians of the Galaxy", and Ant-Man from the "Ant-Man" series. These uniquely styled, unconventional superheroes were the most intriguing—much like Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Secondly, "The Amazing Spider-Man" was a series that left people utterly disappointed. Sony Pictures was too eager to reboot the series, to the extent that their grasp on positioning and the main storyline was unclear and unsatisfactory in terms of box office returns. Although not a loss-making venture, they only managed to film two out of the planned trilogy before Sony Pictures proactively halted the project, axing it completely, and then started anew by selecting even younger high school student actors to initiate a fresh "Spider-Man" series with a more youthful vibe.

Therefore, Renly had no reason to choose "The Amazing Spider-Man" after giving up on "Thor".

Thinking about this, a sense of absurdity welled up within Renly. He was now an entirely penniless and inexperienced rookie, standing here being picky and opinionated, discussing and evaluating, and yet, it wasn't even certain whether he was willing to play "Thor" or "The Amazing Spider-Man". In reality, even if he were to audition, it didn't guarantee him the role. In the current situation, he was the one awaiting selection, not the one with the power to choose.

Renly pursed his lips, a slight smile forming unconsciously. This was quite fine. They didn't deem him worthy, and he didn't deem them attractive.

Shifting his gaze away from "The Amazing Spider-Man", Renly began to peruse the notice board with meticulousness.

In truth, Renly enjoyed perusing the notice board of SAG. Here, on this small board, he could always find countless pieces of information and refer to his memories from his previous life to navigate. Not only were there major projects like "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Super 8", and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", there were also numerous independent films he hadn't even heard of. This was the lesser-known side of Hollywood that wasn't for the general public.

In reality, Hollywood could release fewer than 600 films in theaters each year. For example, in 2009, there were only 521 films released or screened in theaters, previewed, or officially shown. Furthermore, there were art-house theaters in North America and Europe that specifically showcased niche and lesser-known artistic works. However, operating these art-house theaters was extremely challenging, and the number of screens was limited. Only about a hundred films per year had the opportunity to be screened there.

So, what about other film projects? Over two thousand film projects were registered each year, or even more. Among them, over half couldn't be screened in theaters. They either followed the route of DVD distribution, were uploaded on the internet, or simply gathered dust in a corner.

This was the true face of Hollywood. The glitz and glamour under the spotlight were just the tip of the iceberg; darkness occupied a much broader world.

Renly now stood in the realm of darkness, searching for direction. "The Pacific" was merely a faint candlelight, and to illuminate the whole world, there was still a long road ahead.

Without the filtering and selection of an agent, Renly was sifting through the haystack in the guild, trying to find suitable projects, and it was undoubtedly a difficult task. Even though Renly had the advantage of rebirth, the notice board before his eyes was so dazzling that it still made his eyes sore. What about those actors who lacked this advantage? Therefore, Lisa couldn't help but advise Renly to seize the opportunity of "The Pacific", find a suitable agent, and accelerate his career.

Seeing the last corner of the notice board, the vast array of information slid through the gaps like grains of sand. Another day of futile searching. Renly's lips twitched slightly. At moments like this, he would question whether his persistence was in vain. If he had agreed to Andy Rogers' contract invitation, if he had accepted the audition invitation for "Thor", if...

Hold on.

Renly's pupils contracted, and his gaze fell upon the white chalk letters in the corner.

The so-called white chalk letters were the most common type of projects on SAG's notice board: uncertain investment costs, generally likely to be independent productions with budgets below one million dollars; uncertain investment companies, typically companies without official registration information, possibly newly established with limited capital, possibly projects established through independent fundraising, possibly small foreign companies; uncertain actor fees, generally not too high, even for leading roles, a hundred thousand in salary was probably unlikely; uncertain shooting schedules, typically ranging from one week to a year...

For a simple example, a film school graduate who had just received a scholarship of a hundred thousand dollars from a certain foundation wanted to make a film based on a script he had written, directing it himself. By successfully following official channels and submitting registration information, and after passing the official review of SAG, he could then submit the formal actor hiring information.

Such information was referred to as white chalk letters.

These types of projects often garnered the most attention from fledgling rookie actors, ranging from newcomers to those in the lower rungs of the industry. If unlucky, one might end up in a terribly bad movie, but at least they could receive several thousand dollars in compensation, pay their rent, and even claim, "I'm an actor who's appeared on screen." If lucky, they might land a good project and even have a chance to attend the Sundance Film Festival. Regardless of the feedback, this was a qualitative leap for new actors.

Compared to colossal projects like "The Amazing Spider-Man," white chalk letter projects felt much more accessible and friendly.

Of course, white chalk letter projects were a gamble. Many times, they couldn't even see the script and only had a basic concept to go on. They couldn't judge the quality of the work and could only grit their teeth and go into battle.

This kind of high-stakes gamble was even more thrilling than Russian roulette. Unless they were truly desperate, most actors weren't willing to try it easily. Otherwise, like Penny from "The Big Bang Theory", starring in a horribly explicit restricted film, it would be a stain that couldn't be erased in a lifetime.

However, as Renly saw this row of white chalk letters, adrenaline began to surge incessantly. The unrestrained excitement in his lungs roared like boiling water reaching its boiling point. Bubbles as big as a person's palm started to emerge on the surface, ready to burst at any moment. His slightly contracted pupils slowly unfurled, the light deep within his eyes growing increasingly bright.

Renly knew that the project he had been diligently searching for had reappeared! It wasn't because this work could attract as much attention as "Thor", it wasn't because this work could collaborate with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks like "The Pacific", it wasn't because this work could sweep through award ceremonies at the end of the year. It was because this work could fulfill his dream, his actor's dream!

The row of white chalk letters clearly spelled out: "Buried".