It only took Matthew ten minutes to get from home to the Angel Agency in Burbank. He went up to the second floor, pushed open the door to Helen Herman's office, and the first person he saw was Sean Daniel, who had helped him in the past. Sitting on the single sofa next to Sean Daniel was a short, middle-aged man.
This man was also familiar: Zack Snyder, the director of Britney's MV.
Seeing Matthew enter, Sean Daniel and Zack Snyder both stood up. Matthew quickly took two steps forward and familiarly shook hands with Sean Daniel.
"Your new film is finished?" Matthew had already forgotten the name of that film.
"Only a little bit of finishing work remains." Sean Daniel had admired Matthew from the very beginning, and that hadn't changed. He patted Matthew's arm and said, "You're going to be rich soon, kid."
Matthew smiled and said, "It's all thanks to your help. Sean, if you hadn't chosen me to be the Scorpion King, I'd probably still be working at McDonald's or KFC to earn a living."
Although he had politely declined Sean Daniel last time, he was still grateful for the favor.
Besides, saying some nice words and maintaining a good relationship with a well-known producer who has close ties with Universal Pictures could only be beneficial.
Sean Daniel also laughed, then turned to Zack Snyder and said, "Matthew, let me introduce you to a director."
"We know each other." Matthew extended his right hand to Zack Snyder, "Zack, we meet again."
Zack Snyder shook his right hand, "Hello, Matthew."
After the pleasantries, they quickly got down to business.
Helen Herman spoke first, "Sean is preparing a new project and wants to continue working with us."
Sean Daniel gestured with his eyes towards Zack Snyder and said, "I'm planning a new film, and Zack will be directing. We'd like to invite you to play the male lead."
Matthew glanced at Helen Herman, who gave no hint, and couldn't help but ask, "Sean, Zack, can I know what kind of film this is?"
The films directed by Zack Snyder that left a deep impression on him were the ones with the red shorts and "Batman v Superman."
But judging by the timeline, neither seemed quite right.
"Do you know George A. Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead'?" Sean Daniel saw Matthew nod and said directly, "Universal Pictures and I have acquired the remake rights for 'Dawn of the Dead' from New Amsterdam Entertainment, the copyright holder, and we plan to remake this film."
As soon as he said that, Matthew immediately remembered. He seemed to have seen this film and recalled posting a memorial message online when he saw the news of George A. Romero's passing.
He vaguely remembered that several of George A. Romero's classic zombie films were later remade, but none of them left a particularly deep impression on him, and he always confused "Land of the Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead."
Could it be that Zack Snyder broke into the Hollywood film industry by remaking a zombie film?
While Matthew was thinking, Sean Daniel continued to elaborate on some details, "The 1978 'Dawn of the Dead' was clearly a cult film, a milestone in horror cinema. We won't be making a cult film, and we will be applying the latest popular advanced technologies."
Matthew listened while thinking, nodding slowly.
Helen Herman also listened very carefully. Although Sean Daniel was not as prominent as Jerry Bruckheimer, he was still an excellent producer and project initiator. The last time she rejected Sean Daniel was simply because the film's genre was completely incompatible with Matthew's career path. Before Matthew arrived this time, they had already had a lot of discussions. Sean Daniel claimed that he would build the script around Matthew's characteristics, with Matthew as the male lead.
Zombie films are not mainstream in Hollywood, but they have a considerable audience. Her biggest concern was still the quality of the remake.
Hollywood had remade classic films in the past, but generally, there were more failures than successes.
Looking at Sean Daniel and Zack Snyder, Matthew's attentiveness was no less than when listening to Helen Herman talk about Jerry Bruckheimer's project.
"Growing up, I've always loved this genre, and the 1978 'Dawn of the Dead' is my favorite. Although zombie films of the same type are not uncommon, 'Dawn of the Dead' remains the most outstanding. I feel that this genre isn't getting the attention it deserves right now."
Sean Daniel clearly had a lot of ideas, at least his words conveyed that meaning. "Zombie legends have thousands of years of history. They are almost like vampires. For me, zombies are also perfect antagonists—fearless, tireless, ubiquitous, and with only one goal: to track, kill, and eat you."
Frankly speaking, the earliest films of this genre Matthew had seen were George A. Romero's works, but the ones that left the deepest impression were the "Resident Evil" series.
"Currently, I've assembled a screenwriting team to write the script, and the script's framework and setting are already complete." Sean Daniel smiled at Matthew, "Originally, we sought George A. Romero's opinion on the script. His idea was to create a female character and continue to use the shopping mall as the main story setting..."
He shook his head, "Universal Pictures and I had reservations about that. Films with a female as the absolute protagonist would be rejected by a considerable number of male viewers, and the audience for this type of film is primarily male."
Matthew didn't speak, but Helen Herman interjected at the opportune moment, "So you want to set a male as the absolute protagonist?"
"Yes." Sean Daniel first admitted, then elaborated, "Stephen Sommers always likes to base some of his characters on real people when he writes scripts."
Matthew knew this. The Scorpion King was initially based on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and the main villain in "The Scorpion King," Memnon, was based on Asian superstar Chow Yun-fat.
Sean Daniel continued, "Stephen Sommers has always been successful, and I think his method is worth learning from. So, we're having the screenwriters create the male lead in the script based on Matthew's image and style."
He smiled again, "So, no one is more suitable for this role than Matthew."
"Sean..." Matthew slowly asked, "is there a script?"
"It's not finished yet." Sean Daniel's words exuded strong confidence, "I promise, this is a re-imagining of a classic, not merely a repetition. There are many new remakes; I like Kaufman's 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' Carpenter's 'The Thing,' and Cronenberg's 'The Fly.' These are great films that didn't harm the originals. Zack and I both hope this film can attract a new audience for zombie movies."
The two seemed to have come with great sincerity. Zack Snyder then added, "Matthew, we've worked together before, you should understand my creative passion."
Matthew nodded, "Yes, I've never doubted that."
Zack Snyder was undoubtedly a director with many ideas.
"The reason Sean asked me to direct is because we have very consistent views during filming." Zack Snyder continued, "I don't have the idea of a remake, because for me, a remake means taking the original script and systematically re-filming it. What we want to do is a re-interpretation. This is a process of re-creation, and we don't want to compare this film to other films; this is our version."
Both Sean Daniel and Zack Snyder, having said so much, were demonstrating their sincerity.
Matthew could tell, and Helen Herman could also tell. The two exchanged glances, and the long-term collaboration fostered a tacit agreement (mòqì - unspoken understanding), immediately prompting Helen Herman to ask, "Sean, there's one thing I don't quite understand."
Sean Daniel seemed very polite, "Helen, feel free to ask any questions."
Helen Herman, being an agent, didn't beat around the bush and directly asked, "Why Matthew? Matthew isn't even considered a second-tier actor right now."
This was also Matthew's question. His relationship with Sean Daniel was indeed good, but when it came to major interests, such relationships always took a backseat.
Sean Daniel rejected George A. Romero's idea and wanted to make a film with a male as the absolute protagonist. Hollywood had plenty of suitable actors, yet they approached Angel Agency with such sincere attitude. Their past collaboration and good relationship were certainly one reason, but it couldn't be the entire reason.
As Helen Herman asked the question, Matthew looked at Sean Daniel, eager to hear what he would say.
"I've worked with Matthew and I know him well. Just as Stephen Sommers said, Matthew is a good actor! And now he's a star-level good actor!"
Sean Daniel first praised Matthew a few times, then continued, "Zack has also worked with Matthew, and he's also very keen to work with Matthew again."
Zack Snyder was the director chosen by Sean Daniel, so of course, he would cooperate with him. At this point, he said, "I've seen all of Matthew's roles, starting from 'Gladiator,' and I completely agree with Sean. Matthew is the most suitable actor."
"Of course, the film's investment is limited." Sean Daniel spoke truthfully, showing full sincerity. "The production budget for this film will not exceed 25 million dollars, and we don't have the ability to hire A-list superstars. Matthew might not have the same widespread fame as some big stars, but we've done our research, and after 'The Scorpion King' was released, he became very popular."
Matthew still didn't speak. A 25 million dollar investment, in Hollywood commercial films, could be considered a medium-scale production.
If it weren't for "Pirates of the Caribbean," with his current status, the male lead in a production of this scale would definitely be a very good opportunity for him.