America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Boosted by the Cola Cult, the full version of the commercial racked up an astonishing number of clicks on various internet websites.

In the core areas of cities across America, the new image of Sect Leader Martin of the Cola Cult was erected, watching over his flock.

On television, the edited version of the commercial was broadcasted on repeat, reaching countless households.

The commercial sparked a strong reaction.

Especially the discussion online was particularly heated.

"It\'s a bit like the adaptation of last year\'s Avalon Bar brawl."

"Martin knocking down the provocateur is definitely the creative source of the commercial."

"Pitt is really unlucky, humiliated by Martin in real life and stepped on in commercials..."

"Haven\'t you heard? There\'s always been news online that Jolie left Pitt because of Martin, and later when Pitt tried to win back Aniston, turns out Aniston was rumored with Martin!"

Along with the release of the new commercial, Coca-Cola\'s sales soared, Martin\'s fame grew, and the influence of the Cola Cult further expanded.

Even Elizabeth Olsen, who briefly appeared in the new commercial as the Cola Cult\'s Red Saintress, had her fame spread.

After the commercial aired, Aniston specifically sought out Martin, using all her wiles to show him the limits of enjoyment.

Afterwards, Jolie, who had returned to Los Angeles eager to play the Madonna, excitedly found Martin to extract even more pleasure.

By contrast, Pitt, who had no connection to the commercial, was repeatedly tormented by public opinion.

This is a world where only Brad Pitt gets hurt.

Inside a Beverly Hills mansion, Pitt watched the commercial on the projection screen with a serious face; the actor, who looked somewhat like him, made him sick to his stomach.

Lawyers, agents, and managers sat in various places, looking even more serious than Pitt.

After the commercial finished playing, Pitt directly asked the lawyer, "Cole, is it possible to determine that the commercial infringes on my legal rights and has elements of defamation and inducement? Can we send a cease and desist letter to Coca-Cola?"

"We can\'t. The actor\'s face is different from yours, and the costume is distinct from you and any character. It\'s just a resemblance in demeanor," Cole, who had studied the matter, said: "As in movie making, when someone mimics another person\'s acting..."

Pitt pointed at the projection screen, "The problem is everyone thinks that loser is me!"

Lawyer Cole said, "Sorry, there\'s nothing I can do."

Agent Maggie Dukeshire said, "CAA had a special meeting about it and reached out to Coca-Cola Company, but they flatly denied any connection to you and refused our request. We better think long-term."

What else could be done? A head-on victory was unlikely; how could an agency, whose highest annual revenue was just over 200 million US dollars, compete with Coca-Cola?

Moreover, because many sports stars under the agency had sponsorship contracts, quite a number of partners were inclined toward Coca-Cola.

Pitt wanted to say more, but his closer manager advised, "You\'re better off staying silent. The public and media are forgetful; when this period passes, they\'ll be distracted by other gossip and news and naturally forget about this."

He knew Pitt\'s recent state of mind wasn\'t good, so he added a couple more thoughts: "Coca-Cola releasing such an ad surely came prepared, and with Martin Davis, they\'re likely waiting for you to jump out and confront them, which they would use to stir more buzz..."

Pitt understood these truths, but keeping the frustration bottled up was truly uncomfortable.

Maggie advised further, "We shouldn\'t bother with this for now. \'Death of a Gunfighter\' is finished; let\'s hurry Warner Bros. to sign the distribution contract and set the release date. If the film does well, all the criticisms surrounding you will vanish."

She was a more traditional talent agent: "An actor must ultimately rely on their work."

Pitt heeded this advice, checking the time: "Let\'s go out for lunch, and after that, to Warner."

Maggie and the manager exchanged a look, both breathing a sigh of relief.

Their biggest fear was Pitt acting impulsively, deciding to confront Martin Davis head-on.

Doing so would not only be of no benefit to Pitt but would also make the commercial and Martin Davis even more explosive.

......

Afternoon at the Warner Building.

In a small conference room, Thomas glanced at Martin and said, "We\'re only a little over four months away from the next awards season, which starts with the Toronto Film Festival. Our plan and goal are clear: although \'Infernal Affairs\' features two leading men, we only aim for the Best Actor nomination."

Daniel, representing Warner, said, "The Toronto Film Festival marks the beginning of the awards push, followed by the Gotham Awards, signaling Hollywood\'s full-on sprint into the awards season.

Then there\'s the Critics\' Associations, the Big Four independent film awards, the Big Four bellwethers, the Big Four precursors, and topping it all, the Guild Awards—Warner will send a special envoy to lobby for Martin."

Martin didn\'t need to say anything; Thomas would make the demands, allowing him to act as a lubricant between the two.

Milner, who attended the internal meeting on behalf of Coca-Cola, spoke up: "Warner Bros. will have to organize the screenings and voter gatherings, and Coca-Cola will sponsor all related expenses."

With someone willing to pay, the biggest issue was resolved. Daniel readily agreed: "No problem, I\'ll sort it out on my end and send it directly to your office."

Finding the funding, doing the promotions, gathering votes, and so forth—the Oscars are essentially a Hollywood version of Washington\'s political games.

Compared to the surge in sales that Coca-Cola experienced after signing Martin, this amount of money was insignificant. Milner, representing Coca-Cola, said to Martin, "You boldly charge ahead, and Coca-Cola will always stand behind you."

Daniel looked at Martin, then at Milner representing Coca-Cola, calculating in his mind.

The Cola Cult had tied the two together, and importantly, it effectively drove Coca-Cola\'s sales.

Although Coca-Cola was outside the industry, by sponsoring Martin and his movies, they made him a star that couldn\'t be ignored.

Looking at the digital clock on the wall, Daniel noted there was a screening shortly and said, "Let\'s wrap up for today."

Martin stood up to shake his hand, "Let\'s stay in touch."

The group shook hands and left the meeting room separately.

Milner chatted briefly with Martin, then headed to the parking lot at the front entrance.

Martin and Thomas were going to the back lot to meet up with Bruce and took a different elevator.

The three of them went downstairs, stepped out of the elevator, and just happened to run into another trio.

Brad Pitt, his manager, and his agent, Maggie.

Martin didn\'t show the slightest embarrassment and greeted her with a smile, "Good afternoon, Maggie."

Most actors were expressive, and Pitt was typical of that. His face clearly showed his disgust as he coldly stared at Martin and his companions.

Maggie Dukeshire responded to Martin, shook hands with Thomas, and specifically said, "Martin, your new commercial is very popular. I remember we had an agreement…"

Martin responded earnestly, "I\'m a man of my word and have been keeping to the agreement."

Maggie knew all too well that in terms of shamelessness, even Pitt driving couldn\'t match up to Martin. She vaguely said, "I see."

As if Martin hadn\'t noticed Pitt, he shook hands with Maggie, "I have to go. There\'s something else."

Once Martin passed, Pitt snorted coldly.

His snort reached Martin\'s ear, who suddenly turned around.

A flash of the incident at Avalon Bar went through Pitt\'s mind, and he instinctively stepped back, retreating a couple of steps.

Martin smiled at Pitt and turned to walk away.

Pitt quickly stopped in his tracks, his already dark expression turning even darker.

Maggie came over and said, "Don\'t worry about him. CAA specifically consulted psychologists to analyze Martin Davis. Several psychologists think he\'s not mentally stable, with a thorny, aggressive personality hidden beneath a calm exterior."

Pitt exhaled frustratingly, "I don\'t waste my time on lunatics!"

His manager reminded, "Let\'s head upstairs. Warner\'s people are still waiting for us."

The three entered the elevator.

On the other side, Martin, Thomas, and Bruce left the Warner Building and entered the studio area.

Bruce drove over in an electric buggy.

After Thomas got in, he said to Martin, "I\'ve finished reading all of \'The Reader,\' the original and the novel."

Martin asked, "What do you think?"

Thomas replied directly, "It\'s different from your current style and direction, but the theme and characters are good. It leans towards art, useful for awards contention, and for expanding your range of roles."

He inquired, "The investment for such a type of film won\'t be high; did Winslet mention a budget?"

Martin had looked into it thoroughly, "Kate has secured quite a bit of investment, following the German film tax rebate model. She\'s assured me there will be at least a 28 million US dollar investment."

"Your pay might not reach 5 million US dollars, and the future box office won\'t be very high. Even if it makes some gains at the Oscars, it won\'t be like \'Wanted Order,\' easily grossing a hundred million in North America," Thomas had to clarify something, "Do you intend to use this role in the film to make a run for the Oscars?"

Martin shook his head firmly, "It\'s not really about that, it\'s mainly to repay a favor."

This answer surprised Thomas, "A favor?"

"Yes," Martin summarized the story.

Thomas understood, acknowledging the importance of relationships in Hollywood, where favors had to be repaid eventually.

Taking the interests of his client into consideration, he started, "Given your rapid rise, repaying the favor later could cost you more. Winslet has a good eye for scripts, and the screenwriter and producer Anthony Minghella is also an Oscar winner. I think this project is good."

Martin inquired, "Are you suggesting I take on this project?"

"Connections are very important, especially such high-level favor exchanges within the circle," Thomas said, "Unless we completely disregard our reputation, we should repay this favor sometime, and it\'s better now than later."