Candidates

After completing the onboarding process, Joseph smoothly joined Firefly Films.

Upon his arrival, he immediately started working on recruiting personnel for various departments within the company.

Next on the agenda was establishing a system of internal rewards and penalties, as well as promotion guidelines. These were essential aspects that had been somewhat neglected due to Lyman's lack of experience in management.

Now that a professional talent like Joseph had come on board, the company's internal operations were visibly becoming more organized. This was a positive development.

As for Lyman, he could focus solely on the production department, a part of the business he was more familiar with.

In the afternoon, Eric Newman and Zack Snyder returned to the company, wanting to discuss casting decisions with Lyman.

Most of the production team for the film was from Zack's studio, and with the funding secured, they had already begun preparations such as scouting locations, acquiring props, and handling other pre-production tasks.

Zack wasn't a complete newcomer, having honed his skills in the advertising industry for many years. He had a deep understanding of various aspects of filmmaking, and he knew that Lyman's offer of such autonomy didn't necessarily mean he had to take it all.

He was appreciative of Lyman's support, especially given that he was a director without many achievements to his name. However, this sense of being valued also came with its own set of pressures.

"So, do you have any actors in mind? I can give you some recommendations," Lyman said with a smile, understanding Zack's intentions.

In fact, the talent agency had already provided a list of potential actors, and while there were suitable choices for supporting roles, Zack was unsure about the lead roles.

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly proposed, "What if we cast Eva Green for the role of the pregnant woman in the film?"

Lyman gave Zack, the director, a thoughtful look. He found Zack's suggestion interesting. Eva did seem like a good fit for the role, particularly the one originally portrayed by Jung Yu-mi, the wife of the chubby wrestler.

Eva had experience playing similar roles, such as in "Miscreant".

Regarding her schedule, that wouldn't be an issue either. The filming for "The Day After Tomorrow" was nearing completion, and it would dovetail nicely with "Train to New York".

"Alright, I'll talk to her about it. But what about the lead role? Who do you have in mind for that?"

"A mature, middle-aged man with a stable demeanor..."

Zack carefully recalled the list of actors he had seen and thought several of them would be excellent choices. He then suggested, "Christian Bale? Jake Gyllenhaal? Matthew McConaughey? How about one of these actors? Their market value and image seem to fit."

"Jake won't work; he's already committed to another film besides "The Day After Tomorrow". And as for Matthew, are you sure he can convincingly portray a mature, middle-aged man?"

This wasn't the Matthew McConaughey of the future, who had gradually evolved into a mature actor. Presently, he might appear suitable based on his image, but in reality, it would be challenging to mold him into the character required for this film. It wasn't the kind of challenge a first-time director like Zack should take on.

That left them with Christian Bale as the remaining option.

"Has Christian taken any new roles recently?"

"He should have availability. He's a client of CAA, and his agent mentioned something about a project last time we spoke..."

After listening to Zack's explanation, Lyman finally understood Christian Bale's background.

Bale was a child star.

His entry into the entertainment industry was not like that of Jake, who had family connections. Rather, Christian's circumstances forced him into it.

When he was young, his family was poor, his father was unemployed, his mother worked in a circus, and he had three sisters. The financial pressure was immense, and they struggled to make ends meet. As a result, Christian lived a nomadic childhood, moving between countries like England, Portugal, and the United States.

Starting at the age of eight, he began appearing in commercials to help support his family. Over time, he started getting more roles due to his young age and advantages, which led to appearances in various TV shows.

His career path began to broaden, but it wasn't until recently that he entered the independent film industry. Even then, he continued to take on advertising and guest roles in TV shows because the independent films he starred in usually had poor box office performances and received limited attention in the market.

Up until recently, he was still polishing his craft in the independent film circuit. He had not received many opportunities to step into mainstream cinema, let alone play lead roles, before Christopher Nolan discovered him.

Interestingly, despite his current hardships, Bale's image suited the character's requirements, especially given his lack of fame during this period.

So, after some discussion between Lyman and Zack, they decided to send an invitation to Christian's agent.

It wasn't just about saving money; it was also about the actor's image. The film required extensive special effects, costumes, props, and more. Depicting the zombie effects was an expensive endeavor, and several visual effects studios, such as Digital Domain, Industrial Light & Magic, and Wētā Workshop, had quoted high prices. Moreover, they needed to be involved from the start of production. Saving money in this area was difficult because, in essence, these zombie shots were more numerous than those of the main actors and crucial for driving the plot. Even minor shortcomings could affect the viewing experience.

So, even before filming began, over $40M had already been invested, with a small portion of the final payment remaining. There were also salaries for the production team, set construction, and location rentals. When all these costs were tallied up, the budget amounted to just $70M.

Lyman didn't want to overcommit, even though he had faith in Zack's solid foundation. Filmmaking always carried risks. $70M was a reasonable allocation, and Lyman didn't intend to change it. If things went south, this loss wouldn't set him back too much.

Despite not having a charismatic lead actor, the fact remained that zombie movies didn't typically rely heavily on A-list stars. For example, before appearing in "Resident Evil", Milla Jovovich wasn't widely known. Her career as a singer had given her more recognition than her acting.

When it came to attracting viewers, the quality of the performances mattered most. The climax at the end would be the key, determining whether it could move the audience to tears. That was a challenging task.

As for Matthew McConaughey, they decided to politely exclude him from consideration. He had a long way to go before fitting the role. People needed time to grow and develop, after all.