Chapter 41

Hollywood released many great movies in 2007.

In January, there was Night at the Museum. February saw the release of Ghost Rider—both Ghost Rider and Spider-Man were produced by Sony, with their productions overlapping almost entirely. Sony initially planned Ghost Rider as a fallback in case Spider-Man failed. They even brought in former superstar Nicolas Cage to boost the film with a solid storyline.

The popularity of Spider-Man incidentally gave Ghost Rider a boost, earning it the top spot at the North American weekend box office by the end of February.

In March, 300 was released. This film, like many others, was a comic book adaptation. Beyond DC and Marvel, other comic companies also contributed to the genre. This was Zack Snyder's second film after Dawn of the Dead. At this point, Director Snyder had no idea about the cinematic universe Xu Can would involve him in later.

April was relatively uneventful in the film market. Xu Can barely remembered the comedy Blades of Glory and the thriller Disturbia.

According to the original timeline, the big blockbuster in May should have been Spider-Man 3! Yes, the one where Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker memorably shows off his dance moves as the Black Spider.

But in this parallel world, Spider-Man 1 had just been released, meaning there weren't any major competing releases scheduled. Therefore, Xu Can felt confident about scheduling John Wick for early May, to kickstart the summer movie season with strong box office results.

Unexpectedly, Twilight emerged as a contender!

If it were any other movie, Xu Can wouldn't have been concerned. But this was Emma Stone's second lead role, and her part in this movie was even more significant than her role as Gwen in Spider-Man. Xu Can had no desire to compete directly with Emma.

"How about I talk to the team and have them reschedule it for the summer?" Emma Stone realized at that moment that Xu Can's new film was also set for early May.

"Forget it. Let's leave it to fate. Our movies might not even directly compete. They cater to different audiences."

Twilight would appeal to 16-year-old girls, while John Wick targeted adult men.

"Then let's make a bet—whoever gets the higher box office wins!"

"Alright, just North America," Emma hesitated for a moment. "John Wick" is rated R and can't be released in as many regions, so it'll have a disadvantage."

"Okay, what if you lose?"

"If I lose, I'll promise you one thing—anything that's not illegal."

"Same here. If I lose, I'll do anything you want."

Laughing, they sealed the bet: John Wick vs. Twilight!

Before hanging up, Emma sighed softly into the phone, "More than anything, I want to work on another movie with you. Filming Spider-Man was probably the happiest time of my life."

Hearing Emma's affectionate tone, Xu Can couldn't help but reminisce about when they first met. They were indeed very happy back then. The set was always full of laughter, and after filming, they'd go out drinking and exploring Los Angeles together. They'd talk endlessly about their future.

Back then, neither was famous, and they dreamed together of what might be.

Now, they'd both become overnight sensations, the screen's favorite couple—Spider-Man and Gwen! But now, they spent less time together, busy with their own projects. It was hard to find that same simple happiness.

"This year and next won't have many opportunities, right? I'll be filming Spider-Man 2 in the second half of the year. Next year, I want to make a musical, and I want you to be my leading lady."

"Really? What musical?!"

Spider-Man 2 was expected, but the musical came as a total surprise.

"Preliminary title: La La Land. It's about a couple pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles."

"Wow, that sounds so romantic! It's like us! It must be a beautiful love story. I want to play that role!"

"Alright, once this phase is over, we'll start planning."

Xu Can couldn't help but smile.

The love story part was true, but whether it would be a beautiful one…that remained to be seen.

Time flies. With the release of 300 and Blades of Glory, Xu Can's work on The Dark Knight officially came to an end!

"Wrap!"

To celebrate Xu Can's wrap on the film, Nolan and the crew presented him with a giant cake. Batman, who had just fought the Joker to the death on screen, popped champagne to congratulate Xu Can.

"Thank you, everyone! I hope the rest of the shoot goes smoothly. Our work will become a monument to comic book movies!"

"Yeah!"

"Hooray!!!"

Xu Can's simple blessing was met with applause from the crew.

After the celebration, Xu Can quickly packed his bags to catch a flight back to Los Angeles for the John Wick premiere. Christian Bale and the Nolan brothers saw Xu Can off at the door.

After Xu Can left, Liam Neeson would join the crew to continue filming Batman Begins.

"Take care, don't work Christian to death."

"Don't worry, Batman won't die from exhaustion."

Xu Can joked with them a bit more. As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, you're planning to shoot on Hong Kong Island later, right?"

"Yes, some scenes will be shot there," Nolan confirmed.

Nolan was a bit confused. Did Xu Can want to visit Hong Kong Island?

"When you're there, you'll meet a young Hong Kong actor, Edison Chen. I need you to tell him something."

"Sure, how do you know? We're working with the Hong Kong film industry, and he's making a cameo… Is he a friend of yours?"

If Edison was a friend of Xu Can, Nolan would consider giving him a bigger role.

"No, not exactly. I'm just a fan of his." Nolan was still puzzled, but he took out his notebook to jot it down.

"Alright, what do you want me to tell him?"

Xu Can leaned in mysteriously:

"If your computer breaks down, don't take it to an outside repair shop. This is very important. Be careful about your work getting leaked."

"That's it?"

"Yep, that's all. Bye, Christopher, it was great working with you."

"Great working with you too! Hope we get to make more films together."

"We definitely will." Xu Can smiled, "There will be many more opportunities for us to collaborate."

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