James Wan's film project

Lyman received a call from James Wan.

The day before yesterday, James suddenly called him, asking if he had time and where he was, mentioning that he had something to discuss.

After confirming his schedule, they decided to meet today.

Originally, they had agreed to meet at a certain café, but Lyman found that bothersome and changed the venue to a hotel.

He had only just returned to his room in Nicolas Cage's car not long ago when he heard a knock on the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw James, whom he hadn't met for a while.

James stood somewhat awkwardly outside the door, and surprisingly, he brought a gift. It was a selection of local specialties from Australia, items not available around here. He claimed that these couldn't be found anywhere else.

It was a strange sight. After all, they had collaborated for a while. How come Lyman was treating him as if he were a stranger?

Of course, that was Lyman's personal thought, not James's perspective.

James believed that when seeking someone's help, it was essential to show such a gesture.

Looking back, he had always felt that his luck was quite good.

When he was seven years old, his family moved to Australia, which greatly broadened his horizons. Later on, he smoothly entered a decent university.

During this time, he became friends with Leigh Whannell, and the two of them connected instantly. They shared similar filmmaking philosophies.

Immediately after graduating from university, he joined an unofficial film group named "Sparrowhawk", consisting of like-minded enthusiasts for horror elements. They made short films and exchanged experiences.

Time passed gradually, but given his major in film, how could he not have the desire to direct his own work? He tried his hand at it.

However, upon reaching this point, perhaps his life's luck had been overly consumed, as he kept facing obstacles at every turn.

He thought that the film environment in Australia was unfavorable, with few opportunities, so he tried his best and joined his friend in moving to the United States.

Yet, despite the many opportunities, he wasn't successful in any endeavor. Even though there were more chances, they all went to others. Not only did he not become a director, he didn't even get a chance to be an assistant.

And in the end, he found himself back where he started.

His luck had returned, and he met Lyman.

After the success of "Miscreant" at the box office, some of the film companies that had previously looked down on him were now willing to offer him opportunities.

However, he still wasn't a true director. Some people hesitated, and the conditions they offered him weren't great—actually, they were quite demanding.

Of course, it wasn't that he was concerned about the treatment itself, but rather the power he would have on the set. It was too limited, or to be precise, the creative freedom was lacking.

Not only did he lack any authority in post-production, he didn't even have control over the editing process.

This caused him some distress. According to reason, being a newcomer, he should seize this opportunity, regardless of the conditions.

But...

Perhaps he wanted to struggle a bit. After all, this was his concept, a script he had co-created with his friend. So, he thought of Lyman, the person who had taken care of him on the set, or rather, his mentor.

"What have you been busy with lately? If you're free, my next film is entering the preparation stage. It would be great if you could come and help out early," Lyman said casually, inviting him to take a seat as he spoke.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, James became somewhat uncomfortable.

"Is the timing not convenient?" Lyman noticed his unease and asked again.

"Yeah," James replied, finding it hard to decide how to broach the topic. He reached into his bag and pulled out a script. "I have a script here. Lionsgate is interested in it and would like to hear your opinion."

"A script? Okay, I'll take a look," Lyman said, a bit baffled.

Upon second thought, it made sense. If even non-professionals were aspiring to be directors, how much more so for someone with a professional background like James? Lyman could understand his desire not to settle for being an assistant.

He took the script and started perusing it.

The style was quite different from his meticulous habit of scrutinizing every scene word by word. This script was rough, with sparse dialogue, yet accompanied by numerous annotations for shots.

The story itself was roughly similar to the completed films of the future, complete with various torture devices for the characters.

If someone didn't know any better, they might think James was a sadist.

Well, it did seem a bit sadistic, a psychological kind of sadism.

Lyman put down the script and glanced at James across from him.

James rested his hands on his knees and, noticing Lyman's gaze, flashed a smile in response.

"What do you think? The script doesn't mean much, but the creativity is good."

In this day and age, directors with strength and standing had no need for this kind of thing. It was all a matter of the situation. If James Cameron wanted to make a film, there would certainly be a lineup of people willing to invest. As long as it wasn't too outrageous, the likelihood of approval was high.

Upon hearing this, James peeked at Lyman with his cat-like eyes. However, even from his face, he couldn't discern anything. He steeled himself and decided not to hold back anymore. "Actually, I want to direct this project, but I'm not very satisfied with Lionsgate's investment terms. So, I wanted to ask if you would be willing to take over."

"What's the situation? What's Lionsgate's stance?"

"Some time ago, I came to you to apply for the position of assistant director, right? Actually, before that, I had submitted scripts to many film companies. Later on, Lionsgate expressed some interest, but now we're at a standstill. We haven't reached an agreement yet..."