"Has anything happened during this period?" Edward yawned lazily, casually chatting with the Zoroark beside him. Zoroark hesitated for a moment after hearing the question, clearly unsure what to say.
But after thinking it through, he still recounted the events of the past few days. Truth be told, there weren't many things that truly required Edward's attention—only a few matters could actually be brought to him or handled by him personally.
Yet unexpectedly, two matters did turn out to be directly related to Edward, and therefore really did require his decision.
"The first matter is about the box office settlement for Harry Potter. The revenue has already been transferred to our account. Boss, how do you want to handle it?" Zoroark asked.
Edward didn't think too deeply about it. He immediately decided to use all the funds to build more hospitals—after all, he still needed them. Every region in the League needed at least one affordable hospital.
Fortunately, Edward had already begun gradually forming cooperative projects with the Pokémon League.
After all, something like this was far too important to hold onto alone forever.
Strictly speaking, Edward absolutely had to share it with the League. But "sharing," in this case, essentially meant reassuring the League and letting them take a good portion of the credit. Only by doing so would he avoid the dangerous impression of overshadowing the authorities. Edward felt a headache coming on.
Different statuses came with different burdens.
If Edward were just an ordinary trainer, the most he would have to worry about—even as a Champion—would be the everyday affairs of the League.
But now, his position and influence meant he had to worry about entirely different issues. He also had to keep careful control over Devon Corporation's revenue and business interests.
Even though the League had never made any move resembling a purge of the great families, if they ever did, it would become a massive problem. That was precisely why Edward had been working so hard to raise Devon's reputation—and his own reputation—as much as possible.
And in doing so, reassure the League.
"The second matter is that many comic-book fans have written letters requesting that we produce the second Batman movie." Zoroark continued. This finally piqued Edward's interest. The Dark Knight had been filmed by Roda at Edward's request, and now was just about the right time to release another installment.
(TN: Did he already produce a Superman one?)
This time, however, Edward wanted the next film to be a prequel—specifically, Batman Begins, one of the films in the celebrated Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman Begins.
In Gotham City, a metropolis shrouded in darkness and crime, Batman's saga was one of vengeance, justice, and self-redemption.
Batman Begins, with its delicate storytelling and emotionally rich portrayal, successfully reintroduced audiences to this classic superhero, helping them understand and appreciate who Batman truly was. The film recounted how Bruce Wayne, once a wealthy boy who had lost his parents, eventually grew into the Dark Knight who protected his city.
"I'll write the script now."
Suddenly inspired, Edward sat down in his chair and began typing out the screenplay for this installment.
Batman Begins opened with a thrilling robbery. Bruce Wayne, a young heir of a wealthy family, was attending a grand opera performance with his parents in one of Gotham's most luxurious theaters. Yet this beautiful evening was shattered by sudden violence. On their way out of the theater, the Wayne family was attacked by an armed criminal. Bruce's parents died before his eyes. Losing both parents in one night not only tore away the warmth of family but also plunged Bruce into endless grief and an obsession with vengeance.
Witnessing his parents' death became a trauma forever burned into Bruce's soul. He realized that in Gotham, crime and violence lurked everywhere. To avenge his parents and restore justice to this city, he had to take action. This unwavering conviction would later become the driving force behind him becoming Batman.
A humorous anecdote circulated among fans—not directly related to the storyline, but interesting nonetheless. At many comic conventions, where countless people would cosplay Batman, a niche trend emerged: some people started cosplaying as Batman's parents. The moment they spotted someone dressed as Batman, they would immediately rush forward dramatically and collapse at his feet. Absurd, yet strangely iconic.
After enduring overwhelming grief, Bruce decided to leave Gotham and embark on a long journey to seek ways to exact vengeance. He traveled across the world, learning various martial arts and detective skills. Along the way, he encountered countless challenges and revelations. Eventually, he realized that brute force alone could never truly defeat crime—the root cause of society's decay had to be addressed.
During his travels, Bruce met numerous mentors and companions. In a remote monastery in theHimalayas, he trained under a mysterious mentor named Henri Ducard. Ducard introduced him to the philosophy of the League of Shadows—striking at the very source of corruption to maintain peace and justice. Bruce was deeply inspired by this idea and chose to join this hidden organization.
However, Bruce soon discovered that the League of Shadows' methods were far too extreme—they did not hesitate to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve their goals. This revelation plunged Bruce into turmoil and doubt. He began to question his beliefs and motivations. After much inner struggle and reflection, Bruce eventually chose to leave the League of Shadows and walk his own path of justice.
Despite this, the training he received from the League profoundly shaped his abilities. Bruce Wayne, once a shallow, carefree playboy, had transformed into a formidable martial artist—eventually recognized as one of the strongest human fighters. He pushed the limits of what a mortal could achieve. This, however, led to an amusing side effect: another superhero whose background was a bit too similar ended up overshadowed.
That unfortunate individual was Green Arrow.
Green Arrow, a character whose origin closely mirrors Batman's—a rich young heir returning home to protect his city—was cunning, skilled, and once quite popular. But over time, perhaps because his archetype overlapped too much with Batman's, his popularity faded. Edward felt this was a pity. He believed Green Arrow would've worked better with a setup similar to Hawkeye—focusing solely on extreme archery mastery, to the point of being absurdly powerful. But alas, character settings depended on the writers.
Slowly, Green Arrow's popularity dwindled. He didn't quite fall into obscurity, but he was far less iconic than other DC giants. It truly was a shame.
Returning to Gotham, Bruce found the city even darker and more corrupt than before. Crime syndicates ran rampant, the police force was deeply compromised, and ordinary citizens lived in constant fear. Bruce realized that personal vengeance could no longer change anything. He had to use his wealth and intellect to create a new force capable of battling crime.
During this period, he met Alfred Pennyworth.
Alfred, the loyal family butler, not only offered meticulous care and unwavering support, but also invaluable advice. He became Bruce's most trusted companion—the guiding light as Bruce navigated through darkness.
Alfred also became one of the most important characters in the Batman franchise—a deeply meaningful presence. Batman also gradually developed feelings for Rachel, although because of his identity as Batman, such emotions could never lead to anything.
Bruce also met Rachel Dawes, a passionate young prosecutor devoted to justice. She became his moral and legal compass. Their relationship subtly deepened, although ultimately it led nowhere. After all, Batman had history with Catwoman as well—nothing substantial, but still amusing enough to note.
To combat crime effectively, Bruce used his wealth and technology to create a unique combat suit. Wrapped in the black armor of the bat, he became Batman and began his quest for justice. Batman's emergence struck fear into Gotham's criminals. Every appearance he made delivered judgment—and salvation.
But things were never easy. Batman faced not only formidable enemies but also betrayal and threats from within. Under the orchestration of Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows, Gotham faced unprecedented crisis. Ra's al Ghul sought to destroy Gotham entirely, believing such destruction was necessary to rebuild a "pure" world. His plan endangered the entire city and pushed Batman into a desperate situation.
In this crisis, Batman joined forces with Officer James Gordon—one of the few policemen who still held onto justice. Gordon's presence provided crucial support. Their partnership allowed them to overcome countless dangers and built a deep bond of trust.
Throughout the battle with Ra's al Ghul, Batman not only confronted powerful enemies but also his own inner darkness. Ra's al Ghul forced Bruce to confront the shadows within himself, attempting to make him abandon justice. But through pain and struggle, Bruce reaffirmed his beliefs and chose to continue protecting Gotham.
This ordeal taught Batman that the path of justice was never easy. He would always face his inner demons. Yet these trials strengthened him. He learned to wield wisdom and courage to combat crime and darkness—and to bring hope to Gotham.
After successfully halting Ra's al Ghul's plan, Batman became a true hero of Gotham. Crime rates plunged, and people regained hope in justice. Yet Batman knew his mission was far from over. Every night, whenever the Bat-Signal lit up the sky, criminals trembled.
This naturally led into the sequel, The Dark Knight, where the Joker appeared. But since Edward had already filmed The Dark Knight, there was no need to revisit it now.
"That should do it."
Edward looked over the script in his hands. It wasn't perfect—far from it. After living in this world for so long, his memory of the movies had become fuzzy. He could hardly recall the exact plot details anymore, so producing this much was already doing his best. Anything more would have to wait.
"Zoroark, call in the plot team. I want to discuss the storyline with them and polish it."
Zoroark wasn't surprised. Aside from horror films, he had long noticed that his boss always discussed scripts with others—trying to perfect the narrative, flesh out the plot, and avoid bugs that would ruin the viewing experience.
Soon afterward, Edward began discussing the script with the team, and they worked on it until late into the evening. Only then did Edward hand the revised script to Roda. Roda would merge it with his own ideas and continue production. By now, Roda was already a well-known director, with The Dark Knight as his signature work. Naturally, he cared deeply about this film and even dragged Edward into late-night discussions, leaving Edward both amused and helpless.
"You want to plant foreshadowing for the Joker?" Edward looked at Roda in surprise. Roda nodded. After all, the Joker was immensely popular.
"Boss, we've done surveys. The Joker ranks second in popularity among all characters." Roda said helplessly. Edward wasn't surprised at all—this was the Joker. The portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight was iconic, widely considered one of the best interpretations of the character, perfectly capturing the essence of madness.
Unfortunately, the actor who played the Joker passed away soon afterward. Otherwise, perhaps he would have left behind even more unforgettable work.
"That should be fine—but be careful not to overdo it." Edward nodded. He had no objections. If the Joker's actor hadn't passed away, the third film of the Dark Knight Trilogy probably would've featured him as well.
With Edward's approval, Roda was delighted. Edward was an exceptionally easygoing boss—he understood what directors needed, never interfered unnecessarily, and always allowed directors creative freedom when handling scripts. This was invaluable.
Other producers treated directors like they were employees to be micromanaged, constantly interfering with filming. When the movie flopped, they blamed the director for being "incompetent." Such experiences were all too familiar to small-time directors like Roda, and he despised them deeply. Thankfully, Edward was nothing like those people.
(End of Chapter)