Chapter 322: Explosive Reputation

After a series of fierce battles, Black Mask was defeated and detonated the cargo ship he planned to use to escape Gotham City.

Batman, at the crucial moment, detached from the battlefield, hanging beneath the Batplane, watching Black Mask and the freighter disintegrate in the explosion.

Returning to shore, a large number of police officers were rushing in from all over the city.

Catwoman subdued Deadshot and bid farewell to Batman before leaving, and Batman did not stop her.

The plot begins to wrap up with calming music in the background.

Gotham City returns to peace, and Wayne Enterprises takes over JANUS, announcing the cancellation of the Angel product launch.

Deadshot and Killer Croc are sent to Arkham Asylum.

On the streets, Selina Kyle casually pulls a copy of the Gotham Times from a businessman's bag, featuring a front-page article praising Batman. She smiles, puts on her sunglasses, and merges into the flow of the city.

Commissioner James Gordon stays busy until dusk. Just before leaving work, he receives a note and goes to the roof of the police station, where a huge searchlight has been installed.

He pulls the switch.

The music shifts back to a more intense tone.

In the beam of the searchlight, a giant bat silhouette appears among the clouds.

Residents on the streets look up, passersby whisper and point, children scream with delight, and criminals abandon their deals to disappear into the darkness.

The camera slowly pulls back.

Atop a central city clock tower, Batman stands proudly, his black cape fluttering like a flag.

The frame freezes.

The screen darkens.

The music does not stop but grows even more intense.

As the end credits slowly rise, the auditorium quickly fills with applause.

The enthusiastic applause lasts for over three minutes until the big screen unexpectedly lights up again, and everyone quickly quiets down.

Arkham Asylum, a large African American woman finishes reviewing Deadshot and Black Mask's files and slams the folder on the desk, saying to the middle-aged man opposite, "They are strong, but I need more."

As she speaks, a close-up shifts to the file on the desk, revealing the words 'X Task Force Project.'

Without giving much time for reaction, the camera cuts away, and the music resumes.

Many in the hall whisper among themselves.

Audiences familiar with DC Comics recognize this as the recently introduced "Suicide Squad," with the large African American woman being its founder, Amanda Waller, and 'X Task Force' being the official codename for the Suicide Squad.

Is Daenerys collaborating with Warner Brothers on a "Suicide Squad" movie next?

Various thoughts float through the hall as the credits end, and the screen lights up again.

A novel double Easter egg setup.

Many journalists think to themselves, combining the various news released by Daenerys and Warner Brothers over the year, it's clear that Simon Westeros plans to play a big game.

On the big screen, a cluttered room appears.

A thin figure stands with his back to the screen; in a corner, two bound henchmen plead in fear.

"I've always tried to use justice to make this city better, only to find it futile. Now, let's leave it to fate."

As he speaks, the camera slowly turns to show half of the thin man's normal face; as he shows the henchmen a scarred coin, the camera finally fully reveals his other, horrifically damaged side.

Clink—

The coin is tossed into the air.

Before it can land, something else flies swiftly into the frame, colliding with the coin.

In a close-up, a signature Batarang firmly pins the coin to the wall.

The screen flashes and goes completely dark.

Amidst the ensuing loud applause, nearly everyone in the hall thinks of one name.

Two-Face!

Compared to the lesser-known Black Mask and Suicide Squad of recent years, Two-Face has a history almost as long as Batman's and is as well-known as the Joker, Catwoman, and Penguin, other characters from the Batman series.

Some comic-savvy viewers also recall that Sal Maroni, who threw acid on Harvey Dent's face, causing his disfigurement, died in this movie. How will Two-Face emerge in the sequel?

However, they don't dwell on this question much.

The movie, though based on comics, will surely be adapted, as just completed "Batman: The Moment of Battle" had many adaptations in detail. If it were a direct copy of the comics, the film would lose much of its intrigue.

All sorts of thoughts do not affect the ongoing applause in the hall.

Until all the film's creators gather backstage, waiting for the upcoming media interaction, the applause still hasn't stopped.

Stagehands set up a row of chairs on stage, and Simon leads everyone up just as Nicole arrives at the hall entrance, noticeably awkward, her delicate face flushed.

Seeing Simon, Nicole freezes like a mouse encountering its nemesis.

Simon gives a subtly mischievous smile in one direction, and Nicole, as if pardoned, pretends nothing is amiss and heads towards the restroom.

Leading everyone to the stage, the already subsiding applause in the hall flares up again, mixed with cheers.

Simon naturally takes his place in the center, flanked by Adam Baldwin, Valerie Golino, Willem Dafoe, Tommy Lee Jones, and Anthony Hopkins.

As the host of the media interaction segment, Billy Crystal quiets the audience with a gesture, and the hall gradually falls silent.

"Just a moment, let me settle a personal matter," Billy Crystal says once it's quiet, winking at the audience, then turning to Simon, "Mr. Director, that film was absolutely stunning. Since you're making a sequel, could you perhaps find even a small cameo role for me?"

As Billy Crystal's words fall, laughter erupts in the hall.

Everyone understands this as an indirect compliment to the film.

However, Billy Crystal's comment also voices the desires of many in the hall.

Look at the people around Simon Westeros.

Aside from Valerie Golino, who appeared in "Rain Man," who knows who these others are.

If time could be reversed, they would never let Adam Baldwin and these other second-tier actors get a chance to appear in "Batman."

Now, almost everyone can be sure that as the film releases, these previously unknown actors in Hollywood will definitely rise in stature and then snatch the opportunities that should belong to them.

On stage, Simon cooperates and agrees.

After a few jokes, when Billy Crystal signals that the audience can ask questions freely, almost everyone raises their hands.

To avoid any unexpected questions that might catch the creators off guard, some matters are prearranged.

Billy Crystal expertly picks a familiar face for Simon, Peter Bartlett, a journalist and film critic for the Los Angeles Times.

Peter Bartlett stands up and takes the microphone from a staff member, "Simon, first off, congratulations on crafting another excellent film. I'm curious, how did you come up with those details in the film that we've never seen before? Like the Batmotorcycle, that was so cool, and the Batman using hand-drawn portraits to track down Catwoman, Deadshot's bullet time action, and most importantly, those action designs that were even more spectacular than Bruce Lee's kung fu?"

Peter Bartlett's question probably echoes the thoughts of many in the audience.

The development of movie modes is

 usually predictable, as it involves investments of tens of millions of dollars, and producers generally don't dare to innovate on a large scale.

However, Simon's new film seems to have completely broken free from the muscle-man-with-a-gun action film pattern led by stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger in recent years, featuring action designs full of realism and visual appeal that seem to bring Hollywood action movies into a new era.

The Batmotorcycle, facial recognition, touchscreen operations, video calls, and other details that feel sci-fi to this era also refreshed the audience.

After Peter Bartlett finishes, Simon raises the microphone and laughs, "Maybe, there really are a bunch of ghosts advising me."

The audience is momentarily stunned, then laughs.

The unexpected success of "The Sixth Sense" during the summer has sparked discussions about Simon being a medium, a topic that the media often bring up, and clearly, no one has forgotten.

After the joke, Simon becomes serious, "Actually, it's mainly because we had enough preparation time. I've been thinking about this movie for two years, and to perfectly present my vision of Batman on the big screen, I've consulted a lot of materials and conceived numerous ideas. So, what everyone sees is just a part of my many thoughts. I believe the future sequels will bring even more surprises."

Such an explanation might not satisfy many, but it's a common practice in the industry.

After all, Peter Bartlett's question was somewhat broad.

Another journalist, a bespectacled woman, quickly gets a chance to ask, "Mr. Westeros, I'm Jane Trevor from Variety. I had the privilege of attending the premiere of 'Run Lola Run' in Park City two years ago, followed by 'Pulp Fiction.' This is my third time at one of your personal film premieres. Moreover, I watch most of your screenwriter films as soon as they are released."

Simon can't quite remember her, but still courteously responds, "Thank you for your support, Jane."

Jane Trevor didn't expect the increasingly prominent young man on stage to remember her. She adjusts her glasses habitually and gets to the point, "Mr. Westeros, was the budget for this film really only 50 million dollars? To me, compared to some action blockbusters in recent years with budgets around 50 million dollars, 'Batman: The Moment of War' seems much superior."

"Yes, only 50 million dollars," Simon nods, "I am someone who focuses on cost control. Once I set a budget ceiling, I try to keep within it."

Simon's response doesn't clarify Jane Trevor's doubts.

However, this isn't something that can be discussed in too much detail.

The hall is filled with high-paid stars, and being too blunt could offend some. Simon doesn't like to create conflicts with his words; he prefers to act rather than speak.

Although Simon doesn't specify, many in the hall understand the reason.

A 50 million dollar budget film, "Batman: The Moment of War," and other films of the same budget level must have different expenditure structures.

For example, Sylvester Stallone's new film "Fury Dragon," which premiered a week before "Batman," had a budget of 55 million dollars. Rumors suggest that Stallone alone took 15 million dollars, and the nearly first-tier male supporting actor Kurt Russell, along with veteran Hollywood director Andrei Konchalovsky, would not have low fees either. Just the main cast's expenses could take up over 50% of the film's budget.

In contrast, "Batman: The Moment of War" has no stars costing over a million dollars.

As for Simon himself, he continues with a 1 dollar base salary plus 10% of North American box office shares and 5% of video tape sales.

Moreover, because Simon is the primary producer with absolute authority over the film, the second producer, Joe Silver, who plays a supporting role, also doesn't receive a high salary, just 2 million dollars, without any share options, a rate personally offered by Simon.

Simon is well aware of the potential profits from this project, so he wouldn't make the same mistake that Warner did with Nicholson's tiered agreement in the original timeline.

Although Joe Silver, now a top-tier producer after "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard," doesn't earn as much as Hollywood's top directors and stars.

At the time, Hollywood's top producers, such as Jerry Bruckheimer, who had a higher status than Joe Silver from producing "Top Gun" years before, also had a fixed salary of only a million dollars, though top producers often enjoy a profit-sharing scheme.

Simon's one-time payment of 2 million dollars to Joe Silver is equivalent to pre-paying his profit-sharing fees.

Since he's only a supporting second producer, Joe Silver's compensation is already generous without a sharing clause.

As a result, with Simon, the core creator, only taking a 1 dollar base salary, and lead actors like Adam Baldwin earning only a few hundred thousand dollars, with the highest-paid Joe Silver taking only 2 million dollars, the total expenditure for production, direction, and leading roles in "Batman: The Moment of War" is less than 5 million dollars.

Therefore, over 90% of the budgeted cost was invested in production, making the film's quality naturally far superior to other big films with similar budgets.

After Simon answers this question, Billy Crystal doesn't give Jane Trevor a chance to follow up and points to others.

Various questions about the sequel, Easter eggs, box office, and more follow, making the premiere and the subsequent party lively until late into the night.

The next day, Simon flies to Australia early in the morning with Janet.

At the same time, "Batman: The Moment of War" quickly explodes in media heat and critical acclaim.

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