Chapter 332 - Michael Bay

On Golden Island, filming for the movie had officially begun.

During the shoot, Laila received a call from Louise, informing her that the genre of her film had been revealed. Ever since the last exposure, she had known this day would come sooner or later. She didn't see anything wrong with it. In fact, she admired the paparazzi's ability to dig up news. Otherwise, how would the public learn about all those scandals and events in the United States?

"It's fine, let them make a fuss. Isn't it good for us in terms of publicity?"

Laila calmly offered a solution, but Louise couldn't muster the same composure. She also understood that having the entire city in an uproar about a movie before it even started shooting was a level of publicity that couldn't be bought with money. The problem was that all these news articles were negative! How could she not feel uncomfortable with everyone saying such things about her?

"Laila, don't you think that the increasing negative reports about you will damage the company's reputation?" Louise didn't really want to say such harsh words. The company had become what it was today largely thanks to Laila. Even if it went bankrupt again because of her, she couldn't blame it all on her.

But anyone who saw a nearly completed pyramid on the brink of collapse would feel regret, right? She believed their future had greater potential than this.

"It's okay," Laila replied with the same sentence.

She couldn't explain to Louise the modern-day strategies of publicity. If she told her that people would intentionally create controversies to gain fame in the future, it would probably sound like a joke.

Yet that was a common tactic in her time.

Different perspectives led to differences in understanding, and Laila couldn't clarify it, so she chose not to explain and simply said, "I need to get back to filming," before hanging up the phone.

In truth, her shoot was going quite smoothly. The people from American Express had been very helpful, sparing her from logistical headaches. The actors were all very talented and didn't require much guidance; they brought their characters to life effortlessly. It was safe to say that this was the smoothest shoot of her career.

The scenes that needed to be shot on Golden Island weren't many, and after completing them and giving the entire crew a two-day break, she flew back to Hollywood. The remaining scenes could almost all be shot on set.

With this back and forth, over half a month had passed. Upon returning to Hollywood, Laila found that the topics surrounding her hadn't died down yet.

It was rare for a topic to continue for over a month in the media, but she didn't think it was because Louise released a piece of news every few days, as Louise had suggested. Louise might excel in certain areas, but she was far from being an expert in planning and publicity.

So, why hadn't the topic faded away yet?

After reading the thick stack of newspapers placed on her desk, she finally understood the reason.

It wasn't that the topic of her and the pirate ship hadn't disappeared; it was that Faiza had brought her back into the spotlight with her news.

"Arab Heiress Strikes Again, $250 Million Budget for Titanic Sequel!" "Aiming for Global Box Office, Ocean Film Poised to Create Another Miracle" "Another Film About the Ocean and a Big Ship, Script Handpicked by Arab Princess."

In simple terms, Faiza had set her sights on another script and intended to invest a whopping $250 million in creating a movie that was rumored to be as epic and poignant as "Titanic."

According to an unnamed source, Faiza had mentioned in a public event that the script for the new film was fantastic, and she had been involved in some modifications herself. She believed it would cater to today's audience's taste and expressed confidence that this film would challenge the box office record set by "Titanic."

After reading all the reports, Laila had one thought: "This woman is really wealthy."

The first film she invested in hadn't even been released yet, and she didn't know if it would break even, but she was already in the process of planning and preparing for a second one. Laila couldn't help but wonder whether Faiza was driven by a genuine desire to make money or if she was acting on impulse without thinking it through.

From the reports, it seemed that Faiza had taken this course of action only after the exposure of Laila's pirate movie. Laila also saw some media speculations, suggesting that Faiza might be trying to capitalize on the popularity of "Titanic" or intentionally using a similar genre to compete with Laila's upcoming film.

Actually, Laila hadn't thought that far ahead. History had taught her that the only one who could surpass James Cameron's "Titanic" was James Cameron himself. She had never aimed to reach the pinnacle in one step or make herself excessively fat. She had simply included this movie in her filming plans after remembering its terrifying potential to generate revenue.

She hadn't expected Faiza to jump on the bandwagon, whether to make money or to intentionally annoy her when her movie was released.

This was not good news. $250 million was not a small sum. Even if money didn't guarantee a good movie, it could certainly secure top-notch directors, actors, and crews, reducing the chances of failure.

Laila wasn't afraid that her movie would be defeated. She just didn't want Faiza to continue her presence in Hollywood. Seeing those eyes peeking out from behind the black veil every day was already giving her a headache.

With that in mind, she picked up her phone and called Louise. "Louise, do you have any inside information about Faiza's new investment in a movie?"

"I only know a little. I can look into it more if you need."

"It's okay, just tell me what you know for now."

"Well then. It's said that they've already found the director, Michael Bay, the up-and-coming director who shot 'Armageddon' last year. He's known for his impactful explosion and battle scenes, and he can guarantee a certain box office success."

Laila certainly knew who Michael Bay was, the famous director known for bringing "Transformers" to the big screen. Who wouldn't know his name?

"Since they've invited him, does that mean the movie will feature explosions and battle scenes? Are they planning to blow up the ship during the shoot?"

"It's related to a war, but the specifics haven't been disclosed yet."

Laila pondered for a moment. "Find out the title of that movie first so we can prepare accordingly."

"No problem. Give me half a day." Louise readily agreed.