"Boss, something happened with the walking dead crew—Bar Refaeli is missing!" Chen Xing said with an anxious expression.
"Missing? What do you mean? Was she kidnapped?" Hearing this, Eric was startled.
Although that little girl Bar Refaeli was quite a snob, she was brought to America by Judy, and Judy was sent by him.
If something really happened, Eric would certainly be questioned, and he would also feel guilty.
Chen Xing quickly explained, "She wasn't kidnapped; she just disappeared. We can't find her."
"Her phone is off, she's not replying to messages, and no one is home. The crew notified us when they couldn't reach her."
"Where's her agent?"
"We've looked; her agent can't reach her either and is currently searching."
"What about her mother? Have you asked her mother? And Gadot, Bar Refaeli lives with Gadot, and Judy—she also has a very good relationship with Judy."
"Not yet. Bar Refaeli asked for leave from the crew last week, saying she wasn't feeling well and needed a few days to rest."
"Coincidentally, she didn't have many scenes those days, so Darabont agreed and filmed other people's scenes first."
"Then, by Friday, when it was time for her scenes, Bar Refaeli said she would return to the crew on Monday, but she didn't show up on Monday."
"Darabont was very angry about this breach of rules, but he could only ask her agent to find her."
"Today is already Wednesday, and she still hasn't been found. Everyone is worried that something might have happened to her."
"She wasn't really kidnapped, was she?"
Images of Wu Ruofu, Carina Lau, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and others flashed through Eric's mind, eventually morphing into scenes of John Lennon, and Polanski's wife and child tragically dying.
Regardless of whether it's in China or abroad, celebrity kidnappings are not uncommon. They have money and fame, and their schedules are easy to track.
Although a kidnapping would generate significant public pressure, the high risk and high reward still make it a target for many deranged kidnappers.
However, he then thought, no, that's not right. If it were truly a kidnapping, the kidnappers would have contacted Bar Refaeli's mother or agent for money by now.
Even if they accidentally killed her during the process, they would still try to get money by making use of the situation.
Eric was encountering this situation for the first time, and his thoughts were somewhat muddled. He picked up his phone and called Gadot.
After a while, the call connected.
"Darling, what's wrong? I'm on set. My assistant just saw your call and asked the director before connecting me."
"Gadot, do you know where Refaeli is? Have you seen her these past two days?"
"Refaeli? No, not at all these days. The last time I saw her was last Tuesday or Wednesday, I can't quite remember. What's wrong?"
"She's missing. A lot of people are looking for her."
"What! Missing!" Gadot exclaimed.
Bar Refaeli and she came to America together, and they were like best friends. Hearing the word 'missing,' she immediately turned pale with fright.
"What do you mean by missing? I remember she said she was going to do something last week. Damn it! I can't remember!"
"Don't rush, think carefully."
After a while, Gadot still couldn't recall anything.
"Sorry, darling. I'll tell you as soon as I remember. Oh, by the way, have you asked her mother? Refaeli is very close to her mother; she tells her everything."
"I just found out about this too. You go ahead and film. Tell me if you think of anything."
"Bar Refaeli has been missing for at least two days. Why haven't her family been contacted? Why hasn't the police been called?"
Chen Xing hesitated before replying, "Darabont said he only found out recently. This matter should be handled by Bar Refaeli's agent, and also the Screen Actors Guild."
"Her agent is still looking for her. It wasn't until this morning that Darabont couldn't wait any longer; the upcoming scenes absolutely needed Bar Refaeli to complete them."
"He could only urge the agent repeatedly, and then the agent told Darabont the truth, and we only just found out."
"Damn it, are these guys' brains filled with shit? Contact that agent, what are they all doing!"
Chen Xing rarely saw Eric lose his temper, so he quickly left the office, regretting getting involved in this mess.
Click!
The office door closed, and only when Eric was alone did he call Judy.
Currently, Judy's sexual orientation issue has not been fully disclosed. Everyone only speculates that she has a tendency, and it is not suitable for others to know.
"Eric, what's up?"
"Come to my office."
"It might take a while. I'm outside discussing a script, and it's brilliant. You'll definitely be interested."
"Pause that for a moment. Let me ask you something: Do you know where Refaeli went?"
"Yes, she went home."
"Israel?"
"Yes, she left last week to visit her mother. What's wrong?"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure. Refaeli even called me to say she landed safely. I heard her mother's voice on the phone; there's no mistake. Eric, why are you asking this? What exactly happened?"
"the walking dead crew can't find her. A lot of people are looking for her."
"What! Didn't she finish filming?"
"How do you know? Who told you?"
"Refaeli told me. She said her scenes were wrapped up, and she hadn't been home in a long time, so she wanted to go back and rest for a while."
"Eric, I don't understand. Are you saying the filming isn't finished and Refaeli is lying to me?"
"It appears so for now."
Some thoughts flashed through Eric's mind, and he suddenly felt that something was amiss.
"Eric? Eric?"
"I'm not sure either. You finish your work first, and then we'll meet when you get back."
"Okay!"
After hanging up, Chen Xing walked in a moment later: "Boss, Bar Refaeli's agent contacted her mother, and her mother said she hadn't seen Refaeli either."
"But there's something rather strange: Bar Refaeli's mother doesn't seem very anxious about it and hasn't suggested calling the police."
Eric nodded, pulled out a pen, and wrote down the known information on a piece of paper.
His brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Looking at the information, he suddenly remembered someone—Hong Kong actor Xu Shaoqiang.
Xu Shaoqiang had initially landed the excellent resource of playing Yun Feiyang, the male lead in The Reincarnated. This TV series was painstakingly produced by Rediffusion Television and became an instant hit. Xu Shaoqiang immediately became the iconic martial arts hero of his time.
To counter Rediffusion, TVB cast Adam Cheng in The Legend of Chu Liuxiang, but it still couldn't beat The Reincarnated in ratings.
Seeing that direct confrontation was ineffective, TVB resorted to underhanded tactics, secretly offering Xu Shaoqiang a large sum of money and promising him many benefits.
Xu Shaoqiang, having just become famous, was full of himself and couldn't resist the temptation. He chose to take the money and disappear, hiding himself away.
At that time, The Reincarnated adopted a filming-while-broadcasting model, similar to American dramas. When the male lead suddenly couldn't be found, Rediffusion Television almost went crazy.
In the end, they could only temporarily bring in Ku Kuan-chung to take over, but this inevitably led to a drop in ratings.
Xu Shaoqiang also met a bad end. After his dishonest behavior was exposed, he was ostracized by the industry.
Rediffusion Television kicked him out, and TVB's promised male lead roles and other benefits never materialized. The once promising martial arts hero Yun Feiyang was relegated to taking small supporting roles and villain roles to make a living, never rising again in his life.
Bar Refaeli's sudden disappearance now somewhat resembles Xu Shaoqiang's disappearance, especially when comparing Judy's information with Chen Xing's earlier words. The whole matter immediately seems very strange.
Eric tried calling Bar Refaeli, but her phone was off.
He then called Darabont.
"Eric, you already know about this, right?"
"Hmm, Frank, do you know anything?"
"Not sure. Bar Refaeli's behavior on set was completely normal. She's a famous actress now."
"the walking dead and house of cards made her very popular. She gained more respect, and no one was disrespectful to her."
"Eric, I can assure you, the crew has absolutely nothing to do with this, and Bar Refaeli suffered no grievances."
"Don't get agitated, Frank. I'm not blaming you. I just have a headache and can't figure some things out."
"Eric, but how should we solve the problem? Bar Refaeli isn't here, so the remaining scenes can't be filmed, and the crew is at a standstill."
Taking a deep breath, Eric gently tapped the table: "What's the progress? How many scenes does she have left?"
"Most of it is done, but the remaining scenes are all related to Bar Refaeli. Everyone is waiting for her, and it's already been delayed for several days."
"Eric, I know you're waiting for the walking dead to launch on Lionheart Network, but the situation is a bit bad."
"Is there any way to salvage it? If she's not here, we won't wait for her!"
"Are you saying to replace her? Or kill off the character!" Darabont immediately understood.
"Either is fine, do as you think best."
"If there's really no other way, my suggestion is to have the character die. Bar Refaeli has already filmed for a while, and replacing her would create inconsistencies in the character before and after."
"Unless you want to reshoot, which would mean the entire series would have to be scrapped and redone."
"If Maggie suddenly dies, what about Glenn?"
Darabont snorted, "Eric, the walking dead is an apocalypse. It's not just one or two people who die suddenly. Just have her killed by the Governor."
"Then save another female character, form a new pair with Glenn, and replace Maggie's character role."
"Of course, you also need to be mentally prepared. The first season's survey responses showed that the character Maggie is very popular with audiences, and her sudden departure might draw some audience dislike and controversy."
"It seems you've already thought about this."
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded outside the door. Judy had rushed back.
"Frank, I'll think about it. I'll call you."
"Okay."
In the office, Judy eagerly asked what had happened. After Eric told her, she immediately took out her phone to call Bar Refaeli, but it also showed as off.
Then she dialed Bar Refaeli's mother's number, which was also off.
Instantly, Judy was completely distraught.
"How is it?"
"They're all off. That shouldn't be; we were still in contact a few days ago."
"A few days?"
"Last Saturday, she said she was going with her mother on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, so we didn't contact each other after that. I don't understand religious matters either."
Eric sighed and shared his suspicions. Judy's face grew even paler.
"But why? There's no reason! Why would Refaeli do this?"
"Because of desire, because of ambition, because of profit, it could be for many things, Judy. Is your relationship stable?"
Judy nodded: "Although we occasionally argue, I think it's pretty good."
"So at least she was willing to tell you she went back to Israel. She didn't tell anyone else, not even Gadot."
"Saying this might tarnish Bar Refaeli's image in your mind, but at a time like this, there's no need to hide it."
"Judy, Bar Refaeli has tried to seduce me multiple times, but I've always refused her. She is not as simple as you see her!"
Hearing this, Judy's heart was greatly shaken. Given their relationship, Eric absolutely had no reason to lie to her, and the beautiful image she held in her heart was suddenly clouded with a shadow.
Pacing back and forth a few times, somewhat flustered, Judy looked up and said, "Eric, give me some time. I'm going to Israel right away. This matter will definitely be accounted for."
Eric nodded: "The crew has been waiting for her for several days, so at most until next Monday, if Bar Refaeli still doesn't show up, she will lose her role."
"I'm not just talking about her role in the walking dead, but also her role in house of cards, and even MGM won't consider her for any projects anymore."
Judy knew that Eric could still talk to her calmly and not lose his temper, which was already out of respect for their relationship. It showed how strong their bond was.
Otherwise, if it were someone else, even those he personally discovered like Ryan Reynolds or Chris Evans, they would be immediately dismissed!
So she didn't plead any further. Let alone pleading, if things were truly as Eric predicted, Judy instantly made up her mind: she would personally send Bar Refaeli away, just as she had personally brought her to Hollywood.
He told Darabont to wait a few more days and not to publicize the matter for now. Eric's attention shifted to other aspects.
This week, The Big Six continued to target Million Dollar Baby, with 20th Century Fox's big production The Day After Tomorrow taking over.
It was directed by Roland Emmerich, a master of disaster films, who also directed 2012. Both of these works are disaster epics that have left their mark on film history.
Compared to the director, the lead actors Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emmy Rossum received less attention.
Scientifically speaking, the scenarios conceived in the film are absolutely impossible to achieve, but it is indeed very good. Eric rewatches it every year.
Under the impact of such a major work, Million Dollar Baby naturally took another hit.
However, similarly, the polar express also had a hard time, being equally greatly affected. In any case, no one was getting out alive.
Until the weekly box office results were released, The Day After Tomorrow unsurprisingly took the top spot, grossing $65 million, and its critical reception was also quite good.
Million Dollar Baby, on the other hand, grossed $21 million, and its excellent word-of-mouth kept its drop to only 30%, which was lower than expected.
the polar express was even worse than being cut in half, only earning $26 million. It's likely that the $320 million box office prediction will have to be lowered again.
On Sunday, Judy still hadn't returned, but Eric's face was incredibly grim.
Several magazines lay before him, all featuring him and Gadot on the cover.