Hollywood Road

Under the management of CAA and Bill Rossis, Gal Gadot quickly launched her own personal blog and occasionally uploaded fitness photos, demonstrating to everyone her dedication to preparing for the role of Wonder Woman.

Indeed, as Gal Gadot had mentioned, besides fitness training, she was heavily involved in various disciplines such as martial arts, boxing, sword fighting, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After all, Wonder Woman is not Superman; although her combat primarily showcases strength and speed, the warrior goddess's traits also necessitate a certain level of skill.

For both Gal Gadot and Chris Evans, the actors playing the leads, fitness and training were their most urgent tasks.

After the final script and storyboard were confirmed, the special effects production for "Man of Steel" had already started before filming. To align with the time-consuming and labor-intensive special effects work, Murphy planned to shoot action scenes first after completing a few shots for promotional purposes.

Unlike previous shoots, this film would employ over two thousand five hundred special effects shots. All scenes involving special effects were planned to be shot in a studio against a green screen, including the final battle with the big BOSS, where they brought in the Russian actor who played Hercules, using motion capture technology.

During the lengthy preparation period, besides various busy tasks, Murphy occasionally released some news to keep "Man of Steel" in the public discourse.

For instance, in mid-October, Chris Evans complained during an interview, "I train two hours a day, and it's brutal. I usually like working out, but this is different. I'm training so hard I feel like throwing up. I think I hate my coach, I hate this movie, I want to go home and sleep for a week. It's utterly ruthless. I lose weight so fast that I just balloon right back up as soon as I eat."

He added, "Training is disgusting, eating is even more disgusting. I can't even look at fried chicken anymore. I'm swelling up from all the training, yet I have to keep consuming protein. It's a real dilemma."

Although this was for promotional purposes, it wasn't an exaggeration. To fit the role of Superman, Chris Evans had put in enormous effort.

Correspondingly, playing Wonder Woman wasn't any easier for Gal Gadot.

She had a very high metabolism, which made it difficult to maintain her weight. She had to increase her food intake, especially proteins. Each training session lasted about two hours, focusing intensely on two muscle groups, maximizing movement, speed, and challenging her muscles from every possible angle to achieve her fitness goals.

By early November, Gal Gadot had successfully added fifteen pounds of muscle.

Two weeks later, Murphy and the crew left Los Angeles and headed to the pre-scouted exterior location in San Jose. After a long and busy preparation period, "Man of Steel" officially began filming.

On a typical Monday morning, just as dawn was breaking, dozens of trailers and trucks arrived at the outskirts of a small town. Under Murphy's direction, they began the intense preparations for filming.

Since many tasks had been completed the previous day, the focus now was more on setting up lights and adjusting camera positions.

While waiting for Phil Rashel to adjust the camera, Murphy asked Gal Gadot, standing behind him, "Have the reporters from Warner Brothers arrived yet?"

Gal Gadot nodded slightly, "They're on their way, should be here in no more than five minutes."

Now she appeared a bit fuller and stronger than her previously gaunt figure, with the added muscle making her look more proportionate.

Besides her cameo role as Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot's main job was serving as an assistant producer. She fully embraced Murphy's methods, having taken a leave of absence from school to gain hands-on experience on the set.

Just as Murphy had faced numerous challenges when starting out, there was often a vast difference between learning and actual practice.

"Let Gunt handle the coordination with the media," Murphy instructed carefully, "Let them in for photos after I've finished shooting the first scene."

The crew continued their preparations, while Murphy stayed busy. Nearby, journalists were already stepping out of their cars.

Seeing the bustling set ahead, Helstan raised his camera to take a shot but was stopped by a crew member.

"Sorry, sir," the crew member was quite polite, "We're about to start shooting. There will be a designated time for media photography later."

In this respect, Hollywood and the media always had an unspoken agreement. Helstan did not insist and lowered his hand from the shutter.

Within a minute, his gaze towards the set suddenly sharpened as Chris Evans, dressed in a tight blue suit, appeared before the camera, seemingly discussing something with director Murphy Stanton.

Almost immediately upon seeing Chris Evans, Helstan realized he was about to capture a major scoop!

The filming was simple, just two walking shots of Superman, quickly completed. Once the assistant director notified them, Helstan and all other journalists swarmed the set,

 realizing that the new Superman would inevitably spark a series of debates.

All cameras were trained on Chris Evans, still on set, as if he were a top-tier Hollywood superstar.

The cameras clicked incessantly; many journalists focused solely on photographing Chris Evans in his Superman costume, ignoring everything else, hastily exiting the set and rushing to their cars to upload the photos and write-ups as quickly as possible.

In today's age, the timeliness of news is more crucial than ever.

Just half an hour later, the most prominent spot on IMDb's homepage featured the latest report on "Man of Steel."

"Superman's Classic Look Undergoes Major Change, 'Man of Steel' Set Photos Reveal Explosive News!"

Next to the headline, an image of Chris Evans in his new Superman costume was displayed.

"IMDb reports: The latest set photos from 'Man of Steel,' currently shooting in the outskirts of San Jose, California, have been released. Unlike previous inconsequential images, this batch features the protagonist Superman himself, and shockingly reveals that the new version of Superman will abandon the iconic red briefs!"

"Previously, whether in officially released stills or leaked set photos, due to dim lighting and distance, we had not noticed any major differences between the new and old Superman costumes. However, today's close-up finally revealed a huge secret—the iconic red briefs are gone! The audacity to adopt such a drastically different costume from the classic comic look makes us deeply admire director Murphy Stanton's courage."

"Beyond the red trunks, we've also noticed other changes in Superman's outfit. The costume features a scale-like texture that not only fits the body but also highlights the well-defined physique of the actor, Chris Evans. Additionally, there's a belt-like accessory at Superman's waist, and it's unclear whether it serves a functional purpose or is merely decorative. But coming back to the point, such a revolutionary look, coupled with the absence of the traditional forelock and the enlarged 'S' symbol on the chest, makes us wonder, is this still the Superman we know?"

The transformation of Superman's look was not just a change, but a dramatic overhaul.

Unquestionably, all these were part of the promotional strategy for "Man of Steel." Since entering the later stages of preparation, Murphy had handed over all marketing responsibilities to Warner Brothers, focusing all his energy on the film's production and shooting, even if it meant coordinating with Warner's promotional plans.

After the news of Superman's classic look undergoing a significant change exploded, Warner Brothers handed Murphy survey data showing that most people were not adverse to Superman's new look; in fact, many fans were quite hopeful.

Criticism was inevitable, of course.

Nevertheless, more people were interested in the plot of "Man of Steel." The past five Superman films had standardized the story mode of Superman to the point where even Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" was just old wine in a new bottle. Despite using new technology, that film didn't fundamentally differ from the Christopher Reeve Superman series.

In such superhero movies, as long as there are no major logical or technical issues, even if the story has some flaws, audiences generally give a positive reception.

"Was 'Superman Returns' really that bad?"

On a plane to Alaska, Gal Gadot, sitting next to Murphy, asked, "Do you also think it was very bad?"

"It was worse than I expected," Murphy shrugged. "That's why I need to avoid the mistakes 'Superman Returns' made."

Gal Gadot looked at Murphy, not fully understanding his meaning.

This was her closest person, and Murphy didn't mince words, "With 'Superman Returns,' I can only say it was a gay director filming his 'god.' Every shot was adoring, every frame was a delicate close-up. Apart from updating the special effects to modern standards, it essentially replicated the old 'Superman' films. Bryan Singer achieved self-satisfaction but left the Superman movie franchise facing a harsher reality."

That being said, from some perspectives, Murphy had to thank Bryan Singer. If not for the failure of "Superman Returns," he wouldn't have received such high treatment today.

The plane landed in Juneau, Alaska's capital, where Murphy led the crew to the northern snowfields to shoot the battle scenes between Wonder Woman and Superman.

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