Chapter 347: My Sun

Regarding the casting of Daenerys Targaryen, Murphy had been considering options since acquiring the adaptation rights. This role required a beautiful and sensual actress due to the numerous bold scenes it entailed.

Murphy had also asked Bill Ross to inquire about the previous actress, Emilia Clarke, but perhaps due to the era, Hollywood couldn't find anyone slightly famous by that name. She might still be mixing in the lower echelons of Hollywood or might not have debuted yet, making the search particularly challenging.

Instead of spending excessive time and energy searching for a relatively obscure actress among the vast pool of Hollywood's lesser-known talents, it was more pragmatic to invite suitable candidates to audition for Daenerys Targaryen.

"Do you really want to audition?"

In a small villa in West Hollywood, a middle-aged man wearing glasses looked incredulously at the pacing figure of the beautiful Jessica Alba. "Jessie, remember, you're a movie star with a promising future. Why would you audition for a television series? It's a step backward!"

How many popular movie stars would choose to star in a TV series, especially an uncertain fantasy series with bold content? It seemed like a career suicide.

The middle-aged man stood up and added, "Jessie, think about 'Apocalypse Now.' How long did it take you to shake off the teen idol image? Do you really want to go back to that? I don't know what you're thinking!"

Seemingly ignoring her agent's words, Jessica Alba continued pacing.

"Jessie!" The middle-aged man grew angry, raising his voice. "What are you thinking? Why would you want to audition for a TV series?"

His voice was loud enough to snap Jessica back to reality. She looked at her agent and said firmly, "Why? Because it's Murphy Stanton's project!"

For her, that was reason enough.

She had escaped the teen idol typecast and become a hot Hollywood actress, all thanks to his movies.

Jessica Alba believed that even if Murphy was venturing into television production, he remained the miracle-making Murphy Stanton.

"You don't need to say more." Jessica's resolve was clear. "I will audition for Daenerys Targaryen and strive to get the role."

"You're delusional!" The agent was furious. "It's true Murphy Stanton helped you, and you rose to fame through his films, but he's out of his mind to produce a fantasy series. If he wants to ruin his career, you don't need to go down with him!"

"Ruin his career?" Jessica Alba laughed as if she'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "You don't understand what kind of person he is. If he's decided to do this, the chances of success are far greater than failure."

The agent tried to interject, but Jessica raised her hand to stop him and preempted, "Even a failing project, in Murphy's hands, will turn into a success. There has been no successful fantasy TV series before, but he is Murphy Stanton; he will change that."

Watching Jessica repeatedly invoke Murphy Stanton's name, the agent suddenly thought that the young director's ability to influence was almost like brainwashing.

But for Jessica Alba, Murphy Stanton was the sun that could illuminate her path—a sun that might be obscured by clouds or dip below the horizon but would always rise again to light up the world.

Jessica always believed that Murphy Stanton was her sun.

"A director's influence on an actor can be this profound?"

At this point, the agent could see something clearly; whatever Murphy had done, it had given Jessica Alba a kind of blind faith.

"Success! Continuous success!" The agent realized. "It must be Murphy Stanton's relentless success that has influenced Jessica Alba."

To her, this young director was almost like a religion.

"Jessie..." the agent still couldn't let go, as Jessica was his most important client and shouldn't risk her career on a fantasy TV series. "Think carefully! I..."

"No need!" Jessica looked at her agent. "Your job now is to get me in touch with Bill Ross and the 'Game of Thrones' production team. I want the role of Daenerys Targaryen!"

Being so forcefully interrupted wasn't pleasant, even if the interrupter was a beauty like Jessica Alba.

The agent didn't speak, his expression sour. He disliked being manipulated by a female client, especially as a CAA agent.

His pride mattered little to Jessica. After missing out on the highly successful "Gone Girl," she knew she didn't need another Invisible Woman, a mere icing on the cake. What she needed was a role like Nancy, something that could leave a lasting impression.

"I have four agents at CAA, and you're just one of them," Jessica, not the sharpest tool in the shed, could still understand the meaning behind the dark expression across from her. She had no intention of backing down and said blunt

ly, "If you're unwilling, I can find someone else."

Realizing what Jessica had said, the agent opened his mouth to speak. After two collaborations with Murphy Stanton, Jessica Alba was no longer the minor actress she once was. She had become a truly popular second-tier actress, no longer a puppet he could manipulate at will. He had shifted from a controller to a service provider.

According to CAA rules, with Jessica's current status, she could easily request to change agents if she was dissatisfied.

"Life changed by Murphy Stanton?"

For some reason, this thought popped into the agent's mind, but he said, "Jessie, trust me, I'm thinking of your best interest."

Worried about being interrupted again, he spoke quickly, "I'll contact Bill Ross and the production team right away."

Preparation for the series was progressing smoothly. After sufficient discussions with Murphy and obtaining related storyboard drafts, Helena Espola led a team to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to scout the production studios and set design based on the actual locations.

Paul Wilson's location scouting team also mailed back numerous samples and local landscape materials. After careful consideration, Murphy decided to use Malta, a Mediterranean country, for filming scenes related to the southern regions.

Regarding cinematography, Philip Lasher had already secured five Sony F35 high-definition digital movie cameras and ten other smaller digital cameras for the production team to choose from. Since Murphy disliked shaky cam handheld filming, Steadicam equipment was essential.

Then there were the costumes. Jack Watson's team, following Murphy's suggestions and the original descriptions, designed a large batch of costumes, armor, and weapons, producing a set of samples in record time.

Most samples received Murphy and George Martin's approval, moving into the production phase. Jack Watson, following Helena Espola, rushed to Belfast with a team.

In Northern Ireland, Jack led a team of weavers, embroiderers, and armor craftsmen to create the costumes from scratch, carefully considering every thread, button, boot, or bracelet.

According to Murphy's instructions, Jack Watson and his team had to dive into the world of "Game of Thrones," study George Martin's books, and analyze the scripts provided by the writers like anthropologists. They had to understand what characters in different regions would wear, from the coastal Greyjoys in their ruthless, indifferent, and damp Iron Islands to the powerful, affluent Lannisters and what they preferred to wear in the sunny climate of King's Landing.

These seemingly trivial details could critically affect the success or failure of the show.

The design of the costumes and props for "Game of Thrones" was crucial to the success of the series and reflected the hard work of Jack Watson and his team of craftsmen.

Therefore, Murphy had agreed with Kara Faith that during future marketing efforts, some of the costumes, props, armor, and weapons used during filming would be featured in a traveling exhibition.

This was both a recognition and a marketing gimmick.

However, Murphy didn't require Jack Watson to follow George Martin's descriptions exactly. After all, text and visual media are entirely different mediums. Some clothes that are perfectly fine in text could be disastrous on screen.

The most obvious was the white armor of the Kingsguard as described by George Martin. Murphy thought this was too much, as white didn't fit the overall color scheme of the series and could affect filming. Therefore, he had Jack Watson make adjustments while keeping some white elements, like capes, which didn't significantly affect the overall look.

Throughout this period, Murphy kept in touch with Jack Watson through video calls, with David Robbie diligently overseeing the work, which was visibly fruitful.

During a busy period, David Robbie suddenly approached Murphy, asking for a small favor.