After the Oscars, Roy continued to return to the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean," while Laila officially began preparations for "The Lord of the Rings."
Initially, she was only making small-scale preparations internally, but as the preparations grew, more and more people started paying attention to her new film.
"The Lord of the Rings" is an outstanding work, but not everyone has read it. Once they learned that Laila was going to film it, many people rushed to bookstores to buy the book, causing it to climb the sales charts in just a few days.
This was not necessarily beneficial for Laila's development. As Cooper had said, "A thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's hearts." The more people who read the book, the more each person would have their own imagined world of The Lord of the Rings. When Laila's film was released, they would inevitably compare the scenes in their minds with those in the movie. If it didn't meet their expectations, the film would be destined to fail.
So, being too famous was not necessarily a good thing. Just as Laila had recently swept Hollywood, her fame was at its peak, and it wasn't surprising that her fans were doing such things.
"Have you decided on the film's location?" Louise knew that Laila had been troubled by the choice of the film's shooting location.
"Yeah, still considering," Laila said with closed eyes, two places lingering in her mind.
Speaking of locations, the original "The Lord of the Rings" chose New Zealand. However, when Laila thought about the movie, scenes from "Avatar" came to her mind.
New Zealand was beautiful, but after watching "Avatar," what left a deeper impression was the floating mountains in the sky and the various strange yet dreamlike creatures.
Laila couldn't forget the beauty of those landscapes. If "Avatar" could choose that location in the future, why couldn't she? If she transformed a location from "The Lord of the Rings" into the magical land of the East, wouldn't it be perfect?
"Laila, if you can't decide, why not use both?" Louise suggested. "There are many backgrounds needed for the film, so why not incorporate both places you want? It could work out perfectly."
It was indeed a good idea, and Laila had considered it. However, changing the shooting location from one country to two meant increased expenses. It not only involved labor costs but also various relationships that needed to be sorted out.
In simple terms, she didn't want too much trouble. However, her perfectionism made her want to include the most beautiful scenes from her memories in her film. She wanted it to look beautiful without too much trouble and to save unnecessary expenses. That's the reason for her ongoing dilemma.
The problem was she couldn't express this to Louise directly; it would be embarrassing. No matter how much they spent on the budget, it wouldn't be high in a place with the consumption level of the East. As for not wanting trouble, that couldn't be said either, as mentioning it would only lead to mockery.
"I'll think about it later," Laila made a headache expression and waved her hand to temporarily put aside the topic.
"Alright." Louise didn't force her. "Regarding the casting, many people have approached through various channels, hoping to play a role in the film. Even cameo roles for free." Among these people were some well-known figures. Their reasons for wanting to play a role in this film, even for free, probably stemmed from seeing the astonishing potential of this movie in the future.
In the past, some individuals would come forward to offer themselves for roles in Laila's films, and Louise had become accustomed to it. However, this time, with so many heavyweight actors approaching, it surprised her.
When she was at Phoenix with Reynolds, she could never have imagined a day like this in the future. Not only did she qualify to attend the Oscars, but she also stepped onto that stage and won a crucial award for the film! Now, so many A-list actors were willingly approaching her, not to grab leading roles but to audition for supporting roles in films produced by her company. It was a situation that seemed like something out of a dream, making her feel like she was living in an unreal world every day.
Laila thought for a moment. "Handle it as you see fit. If they fit the roles, they can stay. But the best resources should still be reserved for our company's 'own people.'" She deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the last three words, reminding Louise of a crucial point – "The fertile water does not flow into others' fields."
Louise wouldn't forget such things without a reminder. "I know what to do," she smiled and suddenly remembered something. "Roy also wants to play a role in the film."
"He called me. If there's a suitable role, inform him to audition. Everyone in our company should be treated the same, no special treatment for him." Laila always kept fairness in mind.
She never had the idea that a particular role could only be played by a specific person. In her view, there were plenty of talented and skilled actors. If one didn't work out, she could easily switch to another. As long as she remained the director of the film, it would ultimately be shot according to her vision.
To give an analogy, it was like drawing. You could use a 2B pencil, or you could use a 2H pencil – both could be used for drawing. Since both could be used, who cared which one it was? Different pencil models might have their own "characteristics," endowing characters with unique soul traits. But who could guarantee that the differences between a smiling character and an icy one wouldn't yield good results?
To put it simply, actors were not a crucial aspect; as long as she controlled the film, it wouldn't go off course.
After Louise left, Laila started to worry again about the initial choice of the film's shooting location. To go or not, it was a difficult decision. However, just when she couldn't make up her mind, a phone call resolved all her worries, and she began to gleefully speculate whether she was truly being favored by God.
The call was from Yao Yingxia, the Eastern official who had a good relationship with Laila. She called to extend an unexpected invitation, hoping that Laila, the Hollywood director who had just swept the Oscars, could visit the East. Giving a few lectures, accepting interviews, and perhaps collaborating with some local directors would be even better.
Laila was somewhat surprised that they approached her so directly. "This is truly an unexpected invitation. I do have a deep love for the East, but unfortunately, I'm currently preparing for a new film, and I'm afraid I won't have the time to go." She deliberately expressed regret. If she appeared too excited, it would make her side seem too cheap, wouldn't it?