America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Under the veil of night, Peachtree Street was completely sealed off, and several specially designed Batmobiles took to the streets, among them two oddly shaped Batcycles.

As a fanatic for practical shooting, Nolan insisted that all night scenes be shot at nighttime.

Martin, having had his makeup done, came out of his trailer and sauntered into the set.

Nolan called Martin and Bale together, reminding them to take care during the shoot, "There will be a lot of action scenes today, don't be stubborn about using stunt doubles when necessary to eliminate any chance of accidents."

Martin, highly concerned for his own safety, immediately said, "I'm fine."

Bale said, "I'll follow the crew's arrangements."

Nolan looked at Martin and asked, "Are you proficient with various weapons?"

Martin, however, looked at Bale and said, "Pistols, rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, I'm familiar with all of them, and I can handle them pretty well. I've even won the community competition."

He deliberately added, "That includes rocket launchers."

Upon hearing this last part, Bale's eyes widened as he stared intently at Martin.

He remembered very clearly that the British police had reported that Nicholson and Strip had set off fireworks at Pine Forest Film Studio using a homemade firework rocket launcher welded from steel pipes.

Nolan nodded, "The Joker will have a rocket launcher during the shooting."

"No problem." Martin's mouth twisted into a grin, laughing at Bale, "I even made a rocket launcher and gave it to Nicholson."

Bale felt a wave of discomfort, as if tearing apart once again, the pent-up frustration since Pine Forest Film Studio suddenly erupting, "You bastard, I'm going to..."

Nolan's gaze shifted to Bale.

Bale's muscles tensed up in an instant, standing still as if he were a statue.

Nolan couldn't help frowning, wondering what was wrong with Bale.

He had anticipated the possibility of the two main actors transitioning from on-screen rivalry to off-screen for a marketing hype, but Martin hadn't said anything out of line; why was Bale on the edge of losing control?

Bale's strong recommendation of Heath Ledger had left a very bad impression on Nolan.

At that moment, Nolan first questioned his judgment of people—Bale was proving to be unreliable.

On the outskirts of the trio, the screenwriter was furiously jotting down notes.

"Martin, who plays the Joker, has always been friendly, often smiling as he discusses issues with the director and Bale. Director Nolan has great trust in Martin, while Bale is erratic, often getting angry at Martin over trivial things, and their relationship is deteriorating..."

Having completed his directions, Nolan left first to prepare for the filming.

Bale stared at Martin, who smiled at him just like the Joker would at Batman.

"You bastard, look at the mess you've made!" Bale was quite angry.

Martin spread his hands, smiling and saying, "I don't understand what you mean."

The others began to look over.

Compared to Martin, whose face was covered in Joker makeup, Bale still had some pride, said nothing more, gave Martin a cold glance, and left.

Martin soon followed.

The screenwriter recorded again, "Martin always smiles at Bale, but Bale's attitude towards Martin is getting worse."

Martin approached a car to get acquainted with the vehicle.

Bruce and the prop masters came over with prop firearms, distributing guns to the actors.

Martin received a shotgun, an old model well maintained.

Bruce said, "I have carefully checked all the firearms; there will be no problems."

Martin nodded slightly, "With you here, I can be at ease."

"Did you provoke Bale just now?" Bruce asked: "I saw he was very angry, looked like he wanted to fight."

Martin grinned, "I just gave him a small push. People always face many choices; you beckon them quietly and they'll find the right path."

Bruce said, "Just be a decent person, be careful not to enrage him."

Martin's smile widened, "What, like Batman beating up the Joker?"

Bruce felt he had pinpointed the key issue, "Isn't this what you're hoping for? You're a terrible person, actually wanting others to beat you up."

Martin didn't respond, just laughed heartily.

Filming commenced shortly thereafter, engines roared to life, vehicles chased through the streets, gunfire intermittently rang out, and occasionally fireworks soared into the sky.

Martin frequently got on and off vehicles during the shoot.

Howard, a representative of the completion bond company, watched over the set with a hawk's eye, absolutely not allowing the main actors to take unnecessary risks.

With such a huge investment in the film, if it wasn't completed on time, Firefighter's Fund Insurance Company would face hefty claims.

Martin didn't want to be blacklisted by the third-party guarantor and cooperated fully with the crew's safety controls.

Shooting went on until before dawn, and as the major personnel of the production withdrew, professional cleaners came on scene and quickly cleaned up the trash on the street, so by the time it was broad daylight, Peachtree Street had returned to its normal state of bustling traffic.

The crew entered into a reversed schedule of working days and nights, with most of the external scenes slated for night shoots.

The noise brought by the night shootings on Peachtree Street soon led to complaints and police calls.

But it was a bit difficult to handle.

On one hand, Atlanta and Georgia were working hard to boost their film and television industries, dreaming of attracting big blockbuster projects like this one.

On the other hand, most of the extras came from Jerome's Marietta Agency, while many characters like police officers were played by real-life APD officers.

Lately, the biggest joy for the APD officers was to come down to the set to serve as background actors after work.

There were also some people who came to visit the set, especially Martin, who had too many friends in Atlanta.

One evening, Sophia, who had invested in the production through Pacific Pictures, arrived on Peachtree Street.

With the investor credentials provided by Pacific Pictures, Sophia entered the set during a break in filming.

She was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt; her explosive muscles caught the attention of many people on set.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The female King Kong stood at the edge of the shooting area, her gaze sweeping around like radar and quickly landing on Martin.

Martin's face was smeared with white paint, a terrifyingly wide mouth curled into a strange smile, and he wore an ill-fitting suit that looked utterly awful.

Normally, Martin wasn't exactly Sophia's type, and now she had lost all interest.

Sophia noticed that the guy playing opposite Martin, perhaps due to his physique, plus the specially designed Batman costume, looked like a fitness hunk.

Scott, with his legs crossed, followed from behind and handed a pink water bottle to Sophia.

When the distant director called a break, Sophia took a sip through the straw and said, "Let's go, let's meet Martin."

The two made their way to the rest area of the set.

When Martin saw Sophia, he greeted her, "Hi, Sophia, good evening."

Meanwhile, Bruce discreetly stepped back, struggling to find a wall to hide behind.

"That costume really is ugly," Sophia started with Martin before turning to Bruce, "Old Cloth, if you back up any further, you're going to hit the camera."

Bruce glanced back and saw the IMAX camera right behind him, promptly stopped, and offered an awkward smile.

Martin laughed heartily, "Old Cloth always remembers the kindness you showed him."

Sophia joined in the laughter, her cheeks forming deep creases, "Martin, just because I'm nice to Old Cloth, does that mean I'm not nice to you? Tell me, and I'll be nice to you too."

Martin's laughter came to an abrupt halt, his white paint and deranged expression freezing on his face.

All notions of the Joker meant nothing in front of the female King Kong.

Sophia then asked, "The guy you were acting opposite just now, was that Christian Bale?"

Upon hearing this question, Martin immediately realized that Sophia might be interested in Bale.

Always eager to help, Martin confirmed, "Yes, that's Bale," and he didn't hesitate to praise him, "In order to play Batman, he's been prepping for over four months, putting on weight and working out, a true muscle hunk."

Sophia listened to Martin while her eyes searched for Bale.

Martin went on, "Besides, Bale has this incredible ability where he can lose weight whenever he wants, bulk up whenever he chooses, and become a muscle hunk at will."

Sophia's interest grew, and she nodded frequently.

Martin resumed his maniacal grin, "One person can serve multiple purposes, and you can even have a custom order, isn't that fun?"

Bruce found a metal chair to sit in, thinking to himself that Martin was such a bastard!

Sophia couldn't wait any longer, "Let's go, introduce me to Bale."

Normally, it would be proper to have someone introduce Sophia to Bale, but the relationship between Martin and Sophia wasn't a secret, so he simply took it upon himself to lead her to where Bale was resting.

Bale was on the phone at the resting area, "Darling, you're coming to Atlanta next week? Great, I'll pick you up at the airport. You want to come to the set to see me shoot? Of course, you can."

His wife, Hiby Blazic, was coming to Atlanta to visit the set.

After hanging up the phone and putting his cell away, Bale spotted the loathsome pale face wobbling over, followed by an exceptionally buff woman.

This woman had to be a fitness fanatic; her muscles were even more exaggerated than his own.

Martin approached closely, his pale face breaking into a bloody wide smile, "Hey, Bale, my friend here is a fan of yours, she wanted to come over to meet you and perhaps take a picture."

However, Bale furrowed his brow, "I don't think that's necessary."

The screenwriter trailing behind Martin immediately took note, "Including Bale, anyone from the crew bringing fans for photos or autographs was always accommodated by Martin. When Martin brought a fan to take a picture with Bale, Bale looked displeased and outright refused, intensifying the conflict between them."

Sophia didn't care about Bale's attitude at all, coming straight over and introducing herself, "Hello, Bale, I'm Sophia."

Bale nodded, "Hello."

Martin said no more and silently drifted away from the spot.

Accustomed to doing good deeds, he wasn't about to become a third wheel.

By the time he seated himself again in the resting area, Sophia and Bale had already started talking over there.

Bale might say no with his mouth, but his body was being honest.

Probably fitness enthusiasts had a lot of common ground to discuss.

Martin watched with interest; the seed was now sown, and he wondered if it would bloom.

Perhaps a blossoming that's bloody, filled with fervor and brotherhood.