The Best Director

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Serenity Assembles

“Home, sweet home!”

In Los Angeles, a white Maserati sports car adorned with red paper-cut decorations like “囍” and “Just Marry” slowly came to a stop. The red wishful knots still swaying unstoppably, after nearly a month, the couple who just stepped out of the car, holding hands, sighed in unison as they saw the familiar lush green lawn and the house, familiar yet brimming with newfound marital warmth. At that moment, a white figure dashed towards them. Jessica rushed up excitedly, “Danny!”

“Danny! Darling, you look great, missed mommy so much…” Jessica crouched down and hugged the noticeably chubbier Danny, her smile beaming as she stroked its neck and blew it kisses across the air. Seeing its long-missed owner, Danny, though not visibly wasted away for her, was often melancholic; but now, it wagged its tail so furiously it seemed it would break off, and ceaselessly licked her face. Jessica, laughing, dodged the affectionate assault, “NO, no kissing, haha…”

Wang Yang watched with a smile as she and Danny played, feeling a warm contentment in his heart. It was such a beautiful scene: wife, house, pet dog. The only thing missing from his favorite shot was an adorable baby, next year! Thinking of this, he chuckled, “Hey buddy, we got you loads of presents, there’s something you’ll absolutely adore…”

“What about me? Do I have a gift?” Joshua asked, following Danny and intruding on the moment.

“I don’t know, we bought a lot of stuff, lots and lots. Some of it will be shipped back slowly; some are in the car, there’s definitely something you’d like.” Wang Yang shrugged nonchalantly—they really did buy a lot, various clothing, accessories, souvenirs, or peculiar items; and also some collected items, like tulip specimens from the Netherlands, a small stone from Mount Everest—this honeymoon could be called “sweeping across the world.”

“Hehehe…” Joshua suddenly let out a sinister laugh, eyeing Wang Yang up and down with arms crossed, “Yang, old chap, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight.”

Wang Yang laughed heartily, proudly extending his left hand with the ring on it; Joshua, also laughing, reached out for a high-five, “Poor thing, from Schwarzenegger to… a Hobbit, what torments have you endured this past month?” After patting Danny’s head, Jessica stood up, her expression less than pleased, glaring at them, “Stop it! This isn’t funny at all.” Joshua laughed, “Why? I think it’s hilarious. You seem to have gained weight…”

“Danny, bite him to death! That Joshua Alba! GO, GO!” Jessica, driven to exasperation, shoved the reluctant Danny beside her—truly a dilemma between loyalty and justice. Just as Danny hesitated, Wang Yang gestured with his hands, “No worries, no worries. Yes, I did lose a pound, haha! You wouldn’t believe it; it was an extraordinary journey. Did you see the photos? We climbed Mount Everest!…”

“The Potala Palace is truly majestic; you should see it if you get the chance. The grandeur is breathtaking. Then we went to Sichuan.” All around the spacious living room were festive wedding decorations, a blend of customs from several countries. Wang Yang and Jessica sat on the sofa, him sharing bits about their honeymoon to Joshua while she leaned affectionately on his arm with a sweet smile. Wang Yang added with a laugh, “Oh! Right. We actually adopted a cute baby panda named YOUCA, a combination of our names.”

Jessica squeezed his arm hard, and Wang Yang wouldn’t share those intimate delights. Joshua, unsuspecting of any other implications, merely nodded and chuckled, “Cheesy! You two rest up for a bit, we’ll talk more over dinner back at my place.” Wang Yang agreed, “OK, I really do need some rest now, lost a whole pound you know!” Amidst Joshua’s malevolent laughter, Jessica rolled her eyes, “Stop it!!”

The day after they returned to Los Angeles was February 29, the day of the 76th Academy Awards ceremony. Last year at the Oscars, Wang Yang became the youngest-ever Best Director, breaking the 72-year-old record by 9 years, resetting it to 23 years and just over a month old, a feat unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed. And this year, he was already a husband at just 24.

On the long, noisy red carpet, this young couple in full attire drew the flashes of countless global media photographers. Their sweet red carpet show-off photos quickly circulated the online world, with many expressing disappointment—no breakup drama on the honeymoon, it seemed like the day they publicize a divorce was still far off.

“The Adaptation goes to, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’!”, “The Best Actress goes to, Charlize Theron for ‘Monster’!”, “The Best Director goes to, Peter Jackson for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’!”…”The Best Picture goes to, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’!”

From an astonished gasp, the Kodak Theatre erupted in less than half a second, applause and cheers like thunder. The audience and guests all stood clapping as the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ team celebrated, hugging each other, and several producers eagerly went on stage to accept the award—the biggest winner of the night! New Line Cinema! ‘The Lord of the Rings 3’! It made history by sweeping all 11 awards it was nominated for!

This number tied the 1960 ‘Ben-Hur’ and 1998 ‘Titanic’ for the most Oscars won, holding the record of 11 awards.

The other major awards were indeed without any suspense, Sean Penn took home the Oscar statuette for Best Actor with “Mystic River”; Charlize Theron once again confirmed the principle that “the Oscars like ugly Best Actresses” by winning with her transformative role; “Lost in Translation” nabbed the Best Original Screenplay; and the French film “Barbarian Invasions” was crowned Best Foreign Language Film.

During the entire Oscars ceremony, last year’s protagonist Wang Yang kept a low profile this year, not presenting any awards nor receiving any; “MIT-21-TEAM” and “TDWP” contended for Best Editing and Best Costume Design but ultimately lost to “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” marking Meryl Streep as a runner-up once again. Throughout the hours-long event, the previous Best Director only got two or three live camera moments as a joke target for host Billy Crystal.

As the Oscars drew to a close, parties like Vanity Fair’s Oscar Night and other celebrations carried on. Surrounded by crowds, noise, and encircled by media reporters, newlyweds Wang Yang and Jessica couldn’t help but miss their just-passed honeymoon, those blissful times when they only had each other.

However, life moves forward, and for movie fans, a new cinematic legend had already been written by “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Where would the next legend come from?

“I Am Legend!” In the bathroom, the big mirror reflected a middle-aged white man in boxer shorts, baring his upper body. He tightened his muscles and turned his body from side to side, examining himself with satisfaction as he muttered, “Handsome!” During his downfall, ruined by drugs and alcohol, he thought he was finished, that maybe one day he would die somewhere, becoming an entertainment headline: “Good news, little Robert Downey Jr. is finally dead.”

Who would’ve thought? He was able to break free from drugs, and now he had a cool set of muscles. A person really could defeat himself! As long as he had a strong will!

“Hello, Robert! Hello, Mal!” Downey greeted with a fist salute to the mirror. These muscles are really nice! Thank you, Magical Yang… He suddenly remembered the last time he arm-wrestled with Wang Yang in jail, a total defeat. But now he was a changed man, and it was time to reclaim his lost honor! Downey snorted, “I am the king of arm wrestling.” That guy was on his honeymoon; how much energy could he have left?

“Hahaha, hahaha…” Downey laughed inexplicably for a while before suddenly letting out a sigh. As long as he stayed silent, the room was quieter than a haunted house—not even a ghost in sight. Sarah Jessica Parker, Deborah Falconer… Suddenly, a sense of loneliness hit Downey. He had been single for quite a while now, but he didn’t want to attend boring parties or pick up women at bars. How would that be any different from his past?

After a few minutes of silence, Downey made himself focus and started slapping his cheeks, looking in the mirror as he continued to explore the script for “Firefly”: “I just want to oppose them. No, that doesn’t feel right… I just want to oppose them!… Hmph, I just want to oppose them. …”

“Captain, I don’t want to die, I haven’t even experienced what making love feels like… I don’t want to die a virgin… Forget it, there’s no hope, no one is going to like me anyway.” The very rock and roll bedroom, Ellen Page read this line from the script while lying on her bed and suddenly pondered. Was Kaylee saying this to Simon next to her or was it just fear rambling? She was about to go to Vancouver, still in Canada. How great! She figured she’d only die if she left Canada.

In San Francisco, dragging a suitcase, Daniel Wu strode into the airport terminal ahead; in New York, in the quiet business cabin, Michael Pitt and Jamie Bochert stowed their carry-on luggage in the overhead bin and settled into their seats; in Alberta, Canada, Heath Ledger, seated in first class, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, facing the prospect of meeting new people again, annoying media interviews, unknown directors, and film sets…

Was there any way to avoid those interviews? And those costume photos, poster shoots, and the like? Could he just not do them? All he had to do was play the role of the guy with blue gloves well. Heath Ledger frowned as he thought then suddenly, a woman’s smiling face faintly emerged in the darkness before his eyes, Michelle Williams…

The enormous plane roared up into the sky, creating a whir of sound all around, and Danny, puzzled and a bit scared, looked out from the cage, wondering where he was being taken this time. Where were Jessica and Yang? If there had been a window next to him, he would have seen an endless sea of clouds outside the plane.

Moving into March 2004, the end of the Oscars also signaled the end of the awards season, and a slew of long-prepared movies began their new round of shooting and production; after getting married and enjoying their honeymoon, Wang Yang and Jessica returned to their work routine.

“The Devil Wears Prada” was still showing in dozens of North American Cinemas, mostly wrapping up in overseas regions, with an IMDB score of 7.7, a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 41%, audience approval at 85%.

“The Lord of the Rings 3” raked in over $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming the second film to join the billion-dollar global box office club after “Titanic” with $1.84 billion, naturally also the second highest in film history; yet when it comes to the box office history of 2003, one cannot ignore the fashion comedy with a production cost of $55 million that swept the wallets of female audiences worldwide, grossing $235 million in North America, $323 million overseas, and a whopping $558 million total for “TDWP”.

Although film critics’ reviews and audience approval rates were both on a decline compared to the previous “5 consecutive wins,” the streak of consecutive 8 ratings on IMDb ended after five films, and a war of words ensued, but it finally ended with “TDWP” winning big at the box office and leaving film critics speechless; “TDWP,” Wang Yang’s third highest-grossing personal film, left the media puzzled on how to describe it when reviewing the year 2003.

“It’s a successful failure,” “It’s astonishing, but not magical,” “The magical Yang shouldn’t go back to being 19 at 23.”…

Regardless, these numbers placed it at 6th place in the 2003 North American annual box office and 5th in the global ranking; whereas Wang Yang’s another movie “MIT-21-TEAM” was at $191 million in North America, 8th annual place, and $367 million worldwide, 10th annual place.

However, it’s worth mentioning that although Pokémon now boasts the second-highest gross of $1.8628 billion in North America and $3.8206 billion globally, earning a pile of weekly and monthly championships, it has never achieved the annual championship or third place in either North America or globally, with the former’s highest being 3rd place for “District 9” and the latter peaking at 4th place twice, never reaching the top three.

When will he unleash his “divine might”? Ascend to the top three, join the billion-dollar global box office club? Or will he decline further and the magical Yang become a historical figure? Movie fans are eagerly awaiting, knowing the answer might be found in “Firefly.”

If one’s life were divided by each film on their worklist, for Wang Yang, for Jessica, for many people, the era of “TDWP” has ended, and the next era is “Firefly.”

The official “Firefly” website’s independent section for Serenity has revealed all the characters from the first episode, complete with role concept art and actor photos for fans to browse: Captain Mal: Robert Downey Jr.; Pilot Hogan Wash: Alan Tudyk; First Officer Zoe: Gina Torres; Mercenary Jayne: Daniel Wu; Mechanic Kaylee: Ellen Page; Mysterious Girl River: Jessica Alba; Doctor Simon: Michael Pitt. And the Alliance – Blue Glove: Heath Ledger.

Here we have the prodigal genius returning, the new talent from Australia, the “genius” praised and personally dubbed by the magical Yang, the formidable supporting actor with chops, and one of the representative figures of the new generation of leading ladies. With Wang Yang, the real “young captain” behind the scenes, where will he steer Serenity?

“Welcome to Serenity!”

In Vancouver, the Firefly Film Production Studios, work on Serenity’s construction was still a scene of bustling activity, with art designers and set decorators such as Jim Sinclair, Daniel T. Dorrance, and Gordon Chin, and art director Kevin Cavanaugh all busily moving forward. They had already built the cockpit, corridors, captain’s quarters, and cargo bay, and to allow for seamless tracking shots with the camera, these sets were made with movable walls.

The staff each had tasks at hand, whether carrying objects, pondering designs, or discussing plans.

In the comparatively quiet rear cargo bay of Serenity, which was already almost fully arranged, the spacious interior was filled with boxes labeled “Hazardous” and “Handle with Care – Explosive” in both Chinese and English. There was also a distinctly conspicuous black box, which was designated for River’s cryogenic chamber. Beside the boxes, Wang Yang welcomed Michael Pitt and Jamie Bochert, who were approaching with a smile and open arms.

“Hey! Michael, Jamie.” As the two approached, Wang Yang greeted them with a smile and reached out with his right hand. Jamie Bochert, with her hair hanging down, was the first to give him a slap: “Hey, Yang.” Michael Pitt reached out, and with a slap, their palms met and clasped firmly. Looking around the spaceship’s rear cargo bay set and the smiling face of his contemporary director and good brother, he was suddenly filled with excitement. This is it, the film set!

The set of the magical Yang! The place where acting dreams come true! Michael Pitt broke into a faint smile and said, “Hey, Yang.” These two guys! Jamie Bochert laughed helplessly at the corners of her mouth, but indeed, Michael and Yang looked very handsome right now.

“This is the tail section of Serenity,” Wang Yang released Michael Pitt’s hand and made a 360-degree turn to look around, then introduced with a smile to the two of them, “It’s not completely built yet, missing a few iron staircases over there, and there… Now the factory is welding them. You know there’ll be lots of scenes here, dialogue, fights, getting on and off the ship…” Michael Pitt nodded, “Yes.” Wang Yang glanced at him and asked, “What do you think of Simon? Any questions?”

When they started talking about the role, Michael Pitt suddenly became serious, “Actually, I do have some; I want to know…”

“Wait a second!” Wang Yang raised his hand, interrupting him quickly, “Wait, wait, wait! I have something to say to Jamie.” He could tell Jamie Bochert was a bit helpless, and Michael Pitt had sought their help over a quarrel. Michael Pitt immediately understood that Wang Yang was playing peacemaker and walked away swiftly with good grace. Looking straight at the tall Jamie Bochert, Wang Yang grinned, “Hey Jamie, sorry for screwing up your band’s plans.”

But you don’t look the least bit sorry, and there’s no need to apologize for it anyway, after all, for many people, this is a golden opportunity. A thought flashed through her mind, and Jamie Bochert, with her androgynous features, replied indifferently, “It’s nothing, just postponed.”

“I really am an asshole, aren’t I? Please, you don’t have to be jealous of me.” Wang Yang shook his head with a chuckle. Jamie Bochert, this rock girl with a clear sense of love and hate, didn’t beat around the bush. He lifted his left hand, showing off his ring, “Look! I’m a married man, and I’m not bisexual.” Then he suddenly lowered his voice, “Keep an eye on your boyfriend, don’t let me steal him away! Heh heh… just look at him, I really love that wispy stubble of his…”

Listening to his words that seemed both joking and mocking, Jamie was both annoyed and couldn’t help wanting to laugh, feeling like cursing him with some choice words. She rolled her eyes at him and provocatively smiled, “Yang, if you’ve got the guts, steal him away.”

“Not interested, I already told you, I’m a married man.” Wang Yang stopped joking and looked at her seriously, earnestly saying, “Jamie, I know Michael Pitt, the promises he makes won’t disappear, whether to himself or to others. You should know that acting, playing in Firefly, is part of his commitment to me, sorry that it came before you; but the band Pagoda, it will definitely happen, that’s Michael Pitt!”

Listening to his emphatic and emotional voice, Jamie silently nodded. Yang was right, this was also Michael’s promise… Suddenly, she really wanted to hug that guy with the wispy stubble.

“I believe Firefly will also spark musical inspiration for you guys, yes, it’s that great.” Wang Yang laughed again, probably fixed things up, right? Seeing a figure approaching in the distance, Heath Ledger, who was also visiting the filming studio for the first time and walking with a breezy gait, Wang Yang patted her shoulder and walked up with a big laugh, “Hey Heath! Welcome to Serenity!”

“This asshole…” Jamie Bochert chuckled, the director really did have a way with words that was more pleasant than anyone else’s! She watched Wang Yang as he walked away, then saw him enthusiastically open his arms and give Heath Ledger a big hug, laughing and talking about something.

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