Preparations

May 24th, clear skies.

Warner Bros. continued to work behind the scenes, persuading the judges on the selection panel. After all, regardless of the positive reception from the audience and film critics, they couldn't forget who held the voting power.

Compared to the Oscars, Cannes had fewer formalities, but it still required cultivation and promotion.

Well, since awards were determined by human choices, there had to be some networking involved.

Moreover, "Million Dollar Baby" had earned its place.

The fervor surrounding its screening had overshadowed all the other films showcased at the festival.

They couldn't simply ignore it.

Furthermore, in recent years, the French film industry had been on the decline. The prestige of the entire European film scene seemed less significant than in the past, not to mention in comparison to the United States.

It was rare to have a locally renowned filmmaker, so no matter which direction his work leaned towards, it was deserving of support. And these filmmakers dared to provide their support.

Luc Besson was a prime example; he led the charge.

This resulted in Lyman, a director who was already closely linked to Cannes, becoming even more entrenched in the festival's inner circle.

Good reviews and publicity secured "Million Dollar Baby" seven nominations in the main competition: Palme d'Or, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Jury Prize, and Best Cinematography.

For a while, it seemed to tower over all competitors, and even the initially favored "Fahrenheit 9/11" fell behind. The latter received five nominations but missed out on Best Actress and Best Cinematography.

Despite such accolades, Lyman didn't exude much enthusiasm. His thoughts were occupied by his upcoming project, and early in the morning, he set out along the street.

Cannes was still lively, and this annual event was the only time it bustled with activity.

Normally, it only saw a moderate influx of tourists during the summer and autumn, but nothing overwhelming. After all, Cannes was relatively small and lacked any particularly famous tourist attractions, making it less appealing to outsiders.

Lyman walked past the Palais des Festivals, heading east. It didn't take long to reach EuropaCorp's office in Cannes.

The storefront was quite small, and the place wasn't large either. They had rented a floor for the convenience of EuropaCorp's distribution department, so there was no need to be extravagant.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?"

A staff member sat near the entrance and, upon seeing Lyman enter, hadn't recognized him immediately. It was quite normal not to pay much attention to behind-the-scenes figures.

"I have an appointment with someone."

As he spoke, a man emerged from an inner room.

Tall, not particularly handsome, but exuding a certain aura.

"Director Lyman?"

He was still in conversation with the staff member near the door when another voice piped up from the side.

Jean Reno waved his hand dismissively. "Why did you come over?"

Well, in the original version of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", Sean Penn had made a cameo appearance as an adventure photographer providing contributions to the magazine where the main character worked. But Lyman didn't know Sean and instead thought it would be more interesting to have Jean, an actor he was familiar with, make the cameo. So he had called Luc to arrange a meeting.

Lyman had mentioned this when he first arrived in Cannes, but Jean's schedule had been inconvenient at the time, which had delayed the meeting until now.

As soon as these words were uttered, Lyman hadn't reacted much, but the staff member beside him was pleasantly surprised.

It was the kind of reaction that said, "Wow, I'm meeting a real celebrity."

In terms of achievements, Lyman had clinched the title of France's annual box office champion two years in a row, earning the respect of industry professionals.

"Hello, I absolutely love your movies. I enjoyed "Miscreant" and the recently screened "Million Dollar Baby", very much. I've watched them repeatedly."

The young man was pleasantly surprised; he was from Marseille and had only been transferred to this office for less than half a year. He had never met Lyman before.

"Uh, hello."

The two of them exchanged a few casual words, and then Lyman led Jean outside to talk.

Speaking of which, Jean had just accepted the sequel to "Crimson Rivers", titled "Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse". Olivier Dahan was the director, and the screenplay was written by Luc Besson, who also served as the investor and producer.

Originally, he had planned to take a break for a while, but Luc had called him about something.

So, that's why he had come to Cannes.

"I mentioned on the phone that I came here today to discuss a role."

"Do you happen to know what it is?" he asked, still a bit confused because Luc had only told him that Lyman wanted to meet but hadn't mentioned the role itself.

After working as an actor for so many years, he had some discretion when it came to choosing roles.

Although he had agreed to meet, it had been more out of curiosity than anything else. In truth, he didn't feel a strong urge. When it came to roles, if he removed all restrictions, he could work year-round without a break. He wasn't lacking in offers.

Lyman wasn't surprised either. He briefly explained the movie's situation.

As for the lead role, it had already been cast with Jim Carrey, and the film's genre would be a lighthearted inspirational comedy with a wild adventure theme.

He also described the character to Jean, who would play a spirited photographer traveling all over the world and taking pictures as he went. There weren't many scenes, and he couldn't even be considered a major supporting character.

After hearing this, Jean thought about it carefully.

Actually, Lyman was asking him to make a cameo appearance, hoping to add an element of surprise or an Easter egg of sorts. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", the main character's story dominated the plot, leaving little room for other characters to shine.

Jean had initially considered declining, finding it a bit troublesome.

According to Lyman's plan, the movie would require a lot of travel to various countries, and it would involve extensive shooting on location. While he might not have to travel to as many places as the main cast, it still wouldn't be easy.

He had been about to say something when he remembered what Luc had said.

They had been working together since the beginning of their careers, and they were quite familiar with each other. Jean, on the other hand, wasn't particularly close to Lyman and had only heard about him. Yet Luc was well-acquainted with Lyman and wanted to bring him into their circle.

This made Jean hesitate.

In fact, cameos were often more about personal relationships than financial gain. Most of the time, actors accepted such roles out of goodwill. And especially in the case of Jean, a top-tier French film star.

Lyman understood his hesitation, and since he wasn't insistent, he switched to discussing interesting and fresh news topics from the United States.

Jean had a favorable impression of Lyman, and he hadn't pressed him into an uncomfortable situation. They chatted about various topics, and before long, it was approaching noon.

They decided to have lunch before parting ways.

On the way back, Jean held a business card with Lyman's private phone number on it.

Lyman suggested that he consider the offer, and if he agreed, he could give him a call.

Actually, Jean's schedule was quite relaxed, especially since he had only taken one film this year, and he didn't have any immediate plans.

He was somewhat selective about scripts, rarely agreeing to projects outside of Luc. In this day and age, good opportunities were hard to come by.

Should he accept?

Jean didn't really know why he was having these thoughts, but he had a feeling that Lyman's attitude had won him over.

Besides, he wasn't in need of money, and doing a cameo for Luc wouldn't hurt.