America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Los Angeles, TMZ headquarters.

After work, Jody packed up her things, slung her laptop bag over her shoulder, and left the company. When she got to the parking lot, someone waved at her.

It was a news tipster from Warner Bros.

He wore a baseball cap and had a paper bag under his arm. He approached Jody's car swiftly, asked in a low voice, "Big news, are you interested?"

Jody inquired, "What news?"

The tipster hurriedly said, "On the set of 'Inception,' directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Martin Davis, the physics professor hired by the crew was kidnapped in Morocco. The kidnappers were arrested before they even left the hotel."

Jody's first reaction was, "Did Martin take down another bunch of baddies?" She frowned slightly, "An incident like this with Martin involved can't be considered top-tier news, the price might not be especially high."

"Ah..." the man was momentarily taken aback, quickly adding, "It doesn't have much to do with Martin. Director Nolan used the knowledge and experience from filming genre movies and sensed something was amiss. He directed the security personnel of the film crew to set an ambush and easily cracked the case."

It wasn't that news about Martin wasn't attractive, but when the same type of news happened to him again, it certainly didn't have the same impact as before. Hearing that Nolan was the main character this time, Jody was instantly interested, "Is there a video? I need to see some footage."

The man followed Jody into her car, pulled a USB drive out of the paper bag, and handed it over, "Take a look."

Jody took out her laptop, turned it on, and inserted the USB drive. The video was very brief, just a few dozen seconds, but the sound of loud shouting could be heard.
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In the elevator lobby, four women were stopped by a dozen armed burly men. Some men were controlling the women, while others opened a suitcase on wheels, revealing an old man inside.

Then Nolan entered the frame, calmly arranging the relevant affairs.

Jody had a suspicion, "This isn't a movie being filmed?"

The man laughed, "You can see the press release from the Moroccan Security Bureau."

Jody took out her phone and made a call.

Her colleague quickly checked the relevant news and replied, "The Moroccan Security Bureau has just held a press conference at Astra Film City, announcing a series of statements regarding the incident involving Professor Mordecai, the physics consultant for the 'Inception' film crew, asserting a thorough investigation into the matter and a firm punishment for the kidnappers!"

Jody hung up the phone and said, "I'll take the video."

After agreeing on a price, the man got his cheque and left quickly.

Jody returned to the company with the storage drive from the paper bag, calling her departmental staff one by one, notifying them to come back for overtime work.

The poor office workers who hadn't reached home yet had to turn their cars around.

That night, TMZ's homepage once again broke a major entertainment scoop, releasing the entire video of Nolan foiling the kidnapping and catching the criminals.

To prevent doubts, Jody also quoted the Moroccan Security Department's press release on the news page where the video was located.

As expected, North America's public opinion exploded. The attention for "Inception" skyrocketed, climbing to the number one spot on Google's trending search list by the next morning.

Nolan's fans have always been passionate, flooding the internet with comments under the related news.

"Only a director who could create a crime film like 'The Dark Knight' could easily handle a few kidnappers."

"Nolan directed with composure, capturing the criminals effortlessly."

"I think Nolan could totally make another crime-themed movie based on this incident."

"Inception" received incredibly high levels of attention, and Warner Bros. took the opportunity to announce the premiere date of the film in North America.

In England, "The Sun" also received a similar video, and after the news was published, the British reacted even more strongly.

Some newspapers targeted Martin, who had just received the Medal of Freedom.

"With the so-called American national hero Martin Davis oblivious, Nolan easily resolved a major crisis for the crew, the true hero is obvious at a glance."

…

Morocco, Astra Film City.

Before the crew started work in the morning, Nolan specifically found Martin and said, "I didn't expect the British media to react like this. I can explain to them."

Martin waved his hand dismissively, "No need, Mene and I just provided a clue. Chris, you're the one who made the decisions. If it had been me, I would have just grabbed a gun and charged in. I don't have the ability to command and coordinate so many people and rescue the professor effortlessly."

He added, "Anyway, the criminals have been caught, the professor has been saved, and the news has brought attention to our film from a lot of people. We're all beneficiaries."

Considering the press response from North America and England, Nolan remarked, "Martin, working with you always leads to unexpected gains."

This time, his desire for making headlines was satisfied, and the payoff was far beyond his expectations.

Thirty genuine behind-the-scenes clips carefully crafted couldn't compare to the explosive impact of this incident.

Martin headed to the makeup trailer to prepare for today's shooting.

Nolan, with his hands on his hips, stood at the entrance of the studio. His stern face was covered with a subtle smile that was hard to detect.

Emma Thomas arrived with a middle-aged man at that moment.

Nolan recognized him, the Deputy Director of Security, Alabat.

The latter walked quickly and shook hands with Nolan, "The trouble the crew has encountered is a lapse on our part."

"The criminals were too cunning, managing to mix in by taking advantage of the crew's recruitment opportunity." Nolan did not want to get too stiff with the Moroccan officials and simply stated, "Deputy Director, I have only one request: these criminals must be severely punished!"

Alabat responded, "We will definitely provide an explanation to the crew, and when the results are out, I will personally call Director Nolan and Miss Thomas."

Nolan had achieved the sensational impact he desired and didn't ask for more, "Thank you for your support."

Alabat smiled and said, "Morocco always provides the finest services for Hollywood crews."

After exchanging pleasantries, Nolan excused himself, as the workday was about to start, and entered the studio to prepare for that morning's shoot.

Alabat felt relieved and drove back to Wazazat. Just as he arrived at his temporary office, his assistant came over to inform him that someone had come to visit.

It was Hamil from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As soon as he arrived, he said, "You've just arrested four women?"

"It wasn't us who made the arrest; it was the American crew," Alabat, guessing what had happened, feigned ignorance, "They tried to kidnap some of the crew members, but were caught red-handed by the great director Christopher Nolan and his security team."

Hamil said, "The situation is very complicated. Give them some punishment, like a financial one, and then deport them."

Alabat had a different idea and said, "Just over half an hour ago, I met with Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas. They made a demand for severe punishment for the criminals."

He emphasized, "Morocco has spent so much money to become the Hollywood of Africa. If we don't administer appropriate punishment to the perpetrators, years of built reputation might be destroyed."

Hamil said, "This is very complicated..."

Alabat interrupted him with a raised hand, "Talking to me is pointless. A major Hollywood director is watching me, and this could lead to an international scandal."

Hamil understood, "I'll find a way."

Alabat passed the matter on, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Who the hell would want this mess on their own hands?

Inside the studio at Astra Film City.

Martin sat in a chair, deep in slumber, as Mene came over and shook him hard, but couldn't wake him.

The wooden walls vibrated, and through the open windows, the sounds of about a dozen extras running in mad frenzy could be heard.

Mene grabbed Martin's chair and pushed it backward forcefully. Martin fell backward and landed with a splash in a large bathtub.

As the water washed over his face, Martin grabbed the edge of the tub and pushed himself up to a sitting position, wiping the water off his face as though he had been shocked awake, and exclaimed, "Why the early start!"

Mene said, "There's been a change in plans."

"Cut, that's a wrap!" Nolan was pleased with the shot, "Prepare for the next one."

Ken Watanabe and another Arab actor entered the set.

The camera panned toward them via the dolly track.

At that moment, Emma Thomas came over and said, "Chris, you've got a phone call."

Nolan replied directly, "We'll talk after we're done." He didn't look at his wife but called out loudly, "Are we ready?"

Martin gave a thumbs up, and the other actors responded in kind.

Amid the sound of the clapboard, shooting started once more.

Martin, in his soaking wet clothes, shot scene after scene for an hour before leaving the set to take a shower and change.

The crew took a brief rest.

Nolan took the phone handed to him by Emma Thomas and asked, "What's so urgent?"

Emma replied, "London City Hall, that Jewish former classmate of yours called."

Nolan found a quiet place to return the call, and the other side answered quickly.

After a brief conversation, the matter seemed troublesome. The caller had seen the reports about the incident and implicitly asked Nolan not to pursue it too harshly.

Before the workday was even over, a senior executive from Warner Bros. called him.

Though the words differed, the message was similar.

Nolan soon realized he had stirred up a hornet's nest. That evening calls came one after another—from his classmates in England, collaborators in the industry, executives and investors at Warner Bros...

Even Martin's lover, Louise Mel, one of the investors in the film, called him.

The broad-browed Nolan was not Jewish, but he couldn't withstand such an onslaught. In just a few days, he noticed that although the media were buzzing about the kidnapping case, it never spread to other aspects.

It seemed as if Professor Mordecai's incident was just a simple kidnapping.

Nolan was well aware of the vast Jewish influence and didn't pressure the Moroccan side further. When Alabat called to speak with him again, he simply said to handle it according to Moroccan procedures.

The media in North America and England were promoting Nolan and the crew's bravery, downplaying the four women's involvement.

Though Nolan never said anything, Martin could tell that the director was furious about the pressure being constantly applied by the Jewish community.

Mene quietly told Martin, "Last night, I heard Emma saying that the director is very angry. He cursed those vampires several times in his room."

Martin said, "That's none of our business."

Mene muttered softly, "Boss, your vision is good."

Following his observations, Martin had a clear feeling that he might have changed Nolan in certain ways, like worsening his relationship with the Jewish community.

He just wondered if the director would lose control one day and become the new Mel Gibson.