Old Gilbert also accepted an interview, in which he said:
"My script is very thin, only a single page long. But as far as I know, Leo plans to complete a scientific experiment, and all of us need to help him."
Gilbert concluded by saying, "I guarantee it will be very exciting, with lots of action scenes. This is a very crazy film."
After the press conference ended, the media rushed to report on it.
"Leonardo DiCaprio reunites with Gilbert after thirteen years. With DiCaprio starring this time, what kind of sparks will the two create?"
"It is reported that Inception is an action science-fiction film themed around dreams. Gilbert explained that this is a film that will drive people crazy."
"Leonardo said that this is one of the most difficult scripts he has ever read, requiring a very high level of intelligence to understand. In addition, he also said that the script reminded him of The Matrix."
The media coverage made movie fans extremely excited, especially fans of The Matrix.
When the first The Matrix film was released back then, it was regarded by many fans as the best science-fiction movie of the 1990s. After so many years, this film has clearly become one of Gilbert's representative works.
When discussing which of Gilbert's films is the best, The Matrix has long maintained a stable position in the top three in terms of votes.
Therefore, when the media reported that the new film would be a movie similar to The Matrix, those fans who had been hoping for years that Gilbert could make another film like The Matrix could hardly contain their excitement.
In the "King of Hollywood" chat group on social media, dozens of messages flashed by every minute, with a large number of Gilbert fans gathering there to discuss his new film.
"Oh my god, I'm so excited, so excited—two male gods of Hollywood are going to work together." This was from female fans.
"A movie similar to The Matrix—is Leo going to be the new savior?" This was from The Matrix fans.
"No matter what, I'm still really looking forward to it. Gilbert is one of the rare Hollywood directors who makes the most original films, and only he can do this kind of originality."
This was from relatively veteran fans.
"This film has an investment of up to 185 million dollars. Will there be risks? After all, it's an original movie." This was from overly worried fans.
No matter what, the early buzz had already been stirred up.
What fans were most concerned about was, aside from Leo, who else would join the main cast of this film.
And Leo first recommended someone to Gilbert—Kate Winslet, who had worked with him on Titanic and Revolutionary Road.
"Kate has always wanted to work with you on a film, but she never had the opportunity."
Gilbert spread his hands helplessly and said, "Leo, we already have you, a major star. It's impossible for us to spend another twenty million dollars to hire a newly crowned Oscar Best Actress."
"That's not a problem."
Leo explained, "Kate said she can waive her salary."
Young actors who come to Hollywood to chase their dreams all hope to be discovered by a great director and soar to fame overnight. As for already famous Hollywood stars, projects by great directors are usually something they strive hard to secure as well.
Just like the film Knives Out, Tom Cruise knew he wouldn't win any awards, but he still lowered his salary to take part.
Mark Wahlberg also knew that his role was not the lead, yet he still strongly requested to participate.
Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood, Jessica Alba, and a whole group of Hollywood golden supporting actors all participated in Knives Out because of the name Gilbert.
A good script was one reason, but the most important reason was that these people believed in the name Gilbert.
They believed that Gilbert could make an exceptionally wonderful film.
And the facts proved it to be true. With a production cost of 40 million dollars, Knives Out brought in a global box office of 471 million dollars. Its DVD release generated 32 million dollars in sales in the first week alone, which was quite impressive.
So it was not hard to understand why Kate Winslet, the newly crowned Oscar Best Actress, would rather take a pay cut to star in Gilbert's new film.
Since she had already expressed such willingness, Gilbert had no reason to refuse.
He said, "How about this—there's a role with not much screen time. She will play your wife, and the two of you can continue your romance in the film!"
"Alright, I'll talk to her."
Leo quickly informed Kate Winslet. Although she learned that the role she would get had very little screen time, Kate Winslet was still extremely excited.
She could not wait to announce the news on her own social media platform, saying that she would be participating in Gilbert's new film.
When an actor personally shows such strong willingness, agents usually do not demand a high price from the production team. Kate Winslet joined Inception with a salary of five million dollars.
Next came the choice for the key role of Ariadne. If Scarlett had not expressed such strong interest, this role would not even have required an audition—it would have gone directly to Ellen Page.
However, Gilbert still gave Scarlett an audition opportunity. On the day of the audition, Scarlett and Ellen Page even met in a very friendly manner.
Although they were competitors, the atmosphere between the two did not seem particularly tense.
Ellen Page's agent worried, "Will Director Gilbert show any bias?"
Ellen Page was not worried at all. "No. The fact that I even have this audition opportunity is already a result of Director Gilbert being biased. As long as I perform well in the audition, Director Gilbert will judge it fairly."
Ellen Page believed that Gilbert was able to become a major Hollywood director because he was not the kind of person who played favorites. If there ever was favoritism, it would only be because the actor's performance was truly outstanding.
This was indeed correct. When performances are roughly equal, Gilbert usually chooses his own people, which is only human nature.
Both actresses performed very well in their auditions, but Ellen Page was slightly better. The main reason was that her temperament was more youthful, after all, she was younger than Scarlett.
She also had more of a college-student vibe, rather than a sexy image.
Scarlett might have played Black Widow too many times. When watching the roles she portrayed, one always felt she was a sexy femme fatale, lacking that student-like quality.
During the discussion session, Charles Roven suggested using Scarlett, and assistant director Annie Burton held the same opinion.
However, Gilbert said, "If Scarlett's performance were outstanding, there would naturally be nothing more to say.
But right now, Ellen Page's performance is slightly better. Personally, I think Ellen Page is the better choice."
Several assistants and trusted aides exchanged glances, all seeing the expected outcome in each other's eyes.
With that, the matter was settled without controversy. When Gilbert returned home that evening, he informed Scarlett of the unsuccessful result.
Scarlett was not angry at all. Instead, she said generously, "I watched Ellen Page's performance. It really was much better than mine.
Not getting the role, I have no regrets."
Scarlett was smart and very sensible, rarely causing Gilbert any worry. But hearing her say this made Gilbert feel a little guilty instead.
So Gilbert took out the script he had already prepared for Scarlett from his study and handed it to her.
"What's this? Lucy?"
Scarlett opened the script and began reading it with great interest.
"This was prepared for me?"
Gilbert nodded. "Since there's still time before The Avengers, you can star in this film!"
Scarlett was instantly delighted and gave Gilbert a big kiss on the mouth.
"That's great! I knew you wouldn't abandon me, hehe!"
...
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