Premiere storm

Night fell slowly, but the entrance of the Chinese Theatre remained brightly lit, bustling with crowds of elegantly dressed men and women, pressing forward, trying to get closer to the red carpet.

The premiere of "Fury" was meticulously prepared and naturally full of splendor.

Under the guidance of the host, the atmosphere at the scene was skillfully controlled, and from the very beginning, the screams of the onlookers never ceased...

Mel Gibson, the Coen Brothers, Kevin Costner...

Until Penelope Cruz appeared on the red carpet, holding Tom Cruise's arm, the scene reached its first peak of excitement.

As photographers pressed the shutter buttons, one of them asked his colleague, "When did the director of this film build connections with these people? Wasn't it said to be from France? How did he establish such a network?"

They had initially expected the cast of "Fury" to be lackluster, with Nicolas Cage being the only topic of interest. They thought the red carpet event might be awkward and unremarkable. However, it turned out to be full of surprises. Even Tom Cruise had come to show his support, igniting the enthusiasm of everyone present.

"There must be some involvement from Paramount Pictures or CAA, don't you know? With just a director, even if he has a broad network, he couldn't have invited so many A-listers. Can't you see that most of those who came are CAA's contracted artists?"

As an experienced journalist with many years in the field, and a reputable figure in the entertainment section of The New York Daily, he continued speaking to his colleague responsible for taking photos, "Moreover, you do know that Paramount Pictures slipped some money to our editor, right? Even if the red carpet was genuinely dull, we would still need to write a report and publish it."

"But without enough substance to write about, with not enough highlights, the newspaper's sales might drop, and the editor will blame us."

"Fine, then let's take some more good photos."

Just then, a burst of cheers erupted from the audience stands behind them. It was Nicole Kidman, the Golden Globe-winning actress, walking down the red carpet. She was acclaimed for both her acting skills and beauty, and clearly had many supporters. Faintly, one could even hear some zealous fans loudly professing their love and proposing to her.

Daydreaming, no, it was already nighttime—dreaming is appropriate at this moment.

After Nicole Kidman passed, the red carpet grew quieter, but as another figure walked towards them, the audience's response indicated that he wasn't as well-known. Still, with the host's encouragement, the crowd offered more encouraging cheers than adulation.

"The director of "Fury" is coming," the photographer carefully reminded.

Wearing a well-tailored suit, Lyman casually stepped onto the red carpet.

Immediately, the audience's cheers reached his ears.

The flashes on both sides lit up, making the scene excessively dazzling.

Enduring the brightness, Lyman unconsciously quickened his pace.

Even when reporters called out to him from both sides, he acted as if he hadn't heard, refusing to stop and pose for photographs.

Hastening into the interview area, Lyman's agent, John, who had been waiting there, quickly reached his side, faster than the interviewing journalists, ready to remind his potentially most valuable client not to say anything inappropriate.

"Director Lyman, do you have confidence in your work? Can it surpass "Die Another Day", which is premiering at the same time?"

Lyman felt a lingering sting in his eyes. The simultaneous flashing of countless cameras not only made the lighting feel like daylight but also tormented him, standing surrounded at the center of attention.

Even so, when faced with questions from journalists, Lyman maintained a polite smile on the surface and confidently replied, "Of course, I have great confidence in my work."

Satisfied with such a confident answer, the journalist had already thought of tomorrow's headline: "Shocking: The "007" Series Films are All Garbage."

Yesterday, during an interview with Director Lyman, our reporter learned...

"Director Lyman, after making a film like "3 Idiots", you immediately followed up with a work that is completely different in subject matter or directing style. Do you have any special thoughts on this?" Since it was the premiere, many invited media personnel were present. The journalists on-site certainly didn't intend to end their questions so quickly. Thus, another reporter hurriedly asked another question.

This kind of question was clearly expected, and Lyman was prepared for it. He smiled politely and replied, "I don't believe the styles of these two works are different. In my view, they can both be seen as commercial films."

However, this evasive and diplomatic answer clearly did not satisfy the journalists on-site. Sure enough, another person immediately asked, "Not long ago, Brad Pitt mentioned in an interview that you initially wanted to invite him to play one of the roles, but for some reason, it was later replaced by Nicolas Cage. Is that true? Or do you think Brad Pitt simply couldn't compare to Nicolas Cage? Otherwise, why did you change the casting at the last moment?"

Following the voice, Lyman looked over and found that, like the previous questioner, he didn't recognize this person either.

Well, in fact, he was unfamiliar with all the journalists present; he had never had any contact with them.

The question was clearly an attempt to exploit the controversy surrounding the issue itself and create more sensational headlines.

Johnson, who was standing nearby, became somewhat nervous, fearing Lyman might say something that could invite criticism.

"Well, "Wardaddy" is a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, and actors should primarily have an image and temperament that align with the character's design. In truth, in my initial conception..."

Lyman was not foolish. How could he directly say which actor was better or worse? That would only needlessly offend people. Even if Brad Pitt had made unreasonable demands that led to the collaboration falling through, it still wasn't a reason for Lyman to smear him. He disdained such behavior.

"After receiving the audition notice, Brad Pitt did fit the part quite well. However, his schedule couldn't be accommodated, so... I couldn't wait and had to find other suitable actors for the roles."

"So, you initially targeted Brad Pitt, but you didn't consider him as your absolute choice. In fact, you had many other candidates in mind," the journalist immediately seized the crux of the matter and asked again.

"That's right," Lyman nodded immediately, lying without a trace, "I had several candidates in mind, but after re-watching "Windtalkers", I finally confirmed Nicolas Cage for the role."

"That's it for now. It's getting late; I should go in first."

With that remark, Lyman turned and walked away from the interview area.

As he made his way towards the theater's interior, his agent John quickly caught up, explaining, "Brad Pitt didn't voluntarily disclose this information. We received a notice from CAA. It was MGM Studios' family entertainment division that revealed it to the public, causing Brad Pitt to be questioned by reporters at an event. In such a situation, he couldn't avoid the topic."

"I see," Lyman calmly replied, showing no signs of being affected.

After arriving at the screening hall, a false smile reappeared on his face.

With John's company, he warmly greeted many industry insiders.

After all, their presence today was giving Lyman face.

These intricate social interactions and potential networking were equally in need of careful handling.

After a round of greetings that took nearly half an hour, Lyman finally managed to leave the polite crowd and find René, Thomas, and the others sitting in a secluded area.

"Are you done with everything?"

René and Thomas were chatting when they saw Lyman sitting in his seat looking tired. They couldn't help but tease him.

"Phew, dealing with them is more exhausting than editing a movie."

"Haha, hard work pays off, right?" René continued with his mischievous smile, and Thomas, though silent, had a playful look on his face.

"You two just sit there comfortably without helping me, but your mouths are still so sharp," Lyman said speechlessly. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Where's George? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Oh, he went to handle some relationships, schmoozing with people. Didn't you see him just now?"

"Maybe, with so many people and all those greetings, I had a hard time paying attention."

At this moment, outside on the red carpet, after the initial excitement of fans and the star-studded first half, the atmosphere started to wane.

The appearances of Eva Green and the rest of the cast and crew had hardly caused any commotion, instead calming down the scene.

Under the guidance of the host, everyone orderly proceeded towards the theater, completely ignoring the presence of this group of people.

The backstage filming crew was accustomed to this and calmly passed through the aisle, entering the theater ahead of time.

Eva Green was wearing an exquisite, pale purple evening gown, enduring the cold weather, but she never expected her first red carpet show to be so disappointing.

She wore a lonely expression, but forced herself to cheer up, proudly walking in her high heels with a smile on her face.

She was not willing to give up. One day, she would attract everyone's attention, including that heartless man. With this thought, her figure became even more elegant...