In Beverly Hills, inside Will Smith's mansion, Will Smith was watching Fox Channel's weekly movie report.
When he saw that I Am Legend had dominated the weekly box office charts for three consecutive weeks, and had even defeated The Bourne Ultimatum this week, he couldn't help but feel enraged.
He knew very well that this film—this project—had originally been his. It was supposed to be his.
But it was all because of that stupid woman who ruined everything. Now not only could he no longer enter the club, he had also offended Gilbert, leaving him trapped on all sides.
Thinking of this, Will Smith grew even angrier. He picked up a whip and rushed upstairs. Before long, the sounds of a woman's screams and Will Smith's furious shouts came from upstairs, the situation sounding extremely brutal.
"Scream some more, you bitch, fuck—"
The whip kept swinging, striking Jada Smith's body again and again. Jada Smith screamed repeatedly, but upon closer inspection, she actually seemed a little excited.
This only further stimulated Will Smith, causing him to whip Jada Smith even harder.
This kind of situation had occurred frequently ever since Will Smith was forced to stay at home and take a break. Perhaps it was his way of venting the anger and fear in his heart, but it was of no real help.
When I Am Legend had just been released, Will Smith had gone to see it himself. He had to admit that it was an excellent film, and that he had missed this opportunity, gaining nothing in the end.
Perhaps out of jealousy, Will Smith noticed that a dog was killed in the movie. He immediately found people to mobilize animal protection organizations and dog lovers, organizing them to protest against the film.
But when the animal protection groups and dog lovers heard that it was a Melon Studio film, they flatly refused to take the job.
Only then did Will Smith remember that Gilbert was a famous loudmouth in Hollywood. Back when Real Steel featured a cow, Gilbert had gone to war with animal protection organizations, completely ruining their reputations with his scathing attacks.
His combat power was so strong that animal protection groups and environmental organizations simply didn't dare to provoke Gilbert anymore.
And in recent years, as Gilbert's status continued to rise, coupled with donations from the Fruit Group, those organizations had even less reason to trouble him.
This made Will Smith even angrier, but he didn't dare retaliate against others. Instead, he could only vent his rage on his wife and son, unexpectedly gaining some twisted satisfaction from it.
Gilbert had no idea what had happened to Will Smith, nor did he have any interest in knowing.
To be honest, at the beginning, he had quite liked this Black actor. He was one of the few Black actors Gilbert didn't dislike.
But this incident taught him that you can never truly know a person's heart. Someone you think is a good person may not actually be the person you think they are, so you can't make assumptions.
The final blockbuster of the summer season was Zack Snyder's 300. By the time the film was released, it was already the tail end of the summer season, yet it still slashed its way to a $70.88 million opening-weekend box office.
Gilbert also attended the premiere of 300 together with Jennifer Connelly. He had seen this film in his previous life and remembered it very clearly.
It was a classic battle set in ancient Greece—a visual feast of clashing blades and bloodshed, and an epic film with a highly distinctive style.
300 was originally adapted from a comic book, and the film retained the exaggerated style of the comic, using heavy, ink-like colors to present its visuals.
As a result, the entire movie looked as if people were fighting inside an oil painting.
In an era when epic films were gradually declining, after the failures of Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, King Arthur, and a series of similar films, it was clear that without a sufficiently striking style, attracting audiences was difficult.
Aside from its visual flair, the most appealing aspect of the film was undoubtedly the warriors' well-developed muscles.
During the screening, Jennifer Connelly couldn't help but admire the actors' muscular physiques. Without question, these muscles also attracted muscle enthusiasts, drawing them into theaters.
Therefore, even though 300 was heavily criticized by the media and film critics, once it earned $70.88 million in its opening weekend, none of that criticism really mattered anymore.
From the perspective of film professionals, 300 could not really be considered a good movie.
Just as Gilbert believed that Lost on Journey couldn't really be considered a good movie either—despite the fact that it became the first Chinese-language film to surpass one billion at the box office.
But for mainstream audiences, a movie that delivers excitement, pleasure, and joy is a good movie.
In the film market, it is unrealistic to expect every movie to explore real-world issues or themes such as the nature of good and evil. What audiences truly want is entertainment.
So from this standpoint, 300 is indeed a good movie, and the market rewarded it accordingly.
For an R-rated film, an opening-weekend box office of $70.88 million was an excellent result. The success of 300 also brought Zack Snyder into Hollywood's spotlight.
Very soon, other Hollywood companies approached Zack Snyder, and he also communicated with Gilbert.
Gilbert did not deliberately make things difficult for him. After all, if someone under him had better development opportunities, there was no reason to block their path. Expecting someone to devote their entire life to you was unrealistic.
Zack Snyder quickly reached a cooperation agreement with Warner Bros. Warner planned to reboot the Superman film franchise, with Kelly Ross personally overseeing the project.
She even declared at a senior management meeting that this would be the best superhero film Warner and DC had ever produced. To that end, Warner approved a production budget of $150 million without hesitation.
A few days later, Zack Snyder called Gilbert, telling him that he was suffering from insomnia, unable to sleep, and afraid of failure.
But by then, it was obviously too late—the director's contract had already been signed.
Kelly Ross was brimming with confidence, unaware that the best superhero film was already in preparation.
For a mature team, although the early preparation work was tedious, it did not feel chaotic. Props made for the first film could still be reused, but director Gilbert demanded that prop production continue to improve.
Just as Iron Man's Mark armor is constantly developed and upgraded, Batman's suit would also keep pace with the times. This progress would be shown to the audience as well, allowing them to see the evolution of Batman's equipment.
Another crucial character design was the Joker. In the early concept stage, art director Selena Haffey designed the Joker based on the comics and Jack Nicholson's portrayal.
However, Gilbert felt it was too exaggerated and rejected it.
He said to Selena, "I want the Joker to look more like a real person. He should be wearing clown makeup, speak with a hoarse voice, and wear a shabby, worn-out coat.
The character should emphasize his sharpness and neurotic side. I want to dig out the Joker's inner sense of realism."
Selena said she understood and conducted extensive research. In addition to referencing Jack Nicholson's version and the Batman comics, she also went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for inspiration.
She also studied artistic designs from subculture circles and punk-style art, ultimately creating the Joker look that Gilbert wanted.
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