The richest actor in Hollywood.

Filming continued at Disney Studios. The production of "Fast & Furious 4" was divided into three main parts: studio interior shots, scenes filmed within Los Angeles, and car chases shot near the California-Mexico border. All filming took place in California due to the state's film tax credit, which provided an estimated $8.6 million in rebates. The main condition to receive this subsidy was that the crew had to stay in California, creating job opportunities for the state.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger faced challenges but implemented a series of promising economic policies. Bella Anderson also investigated James Wan's development in Hollywood. During breaks in filming, Matthew took the time to review her findings carefully. 

James Wan, three years older than Matthew and born in 1977, was a Malaysian-born Chinese who studied film in Australia. His exposure to both Eastern and Western education and culture likely inspired him to incorporate Eastern elements into Western works. Even Matthew had to admit that Western culture had a greater influence globally, with Eastern cultures more readily accepting Western products, while the reverse was not as common. Hollywood directors of Eastern origin often Westernize their films, as seen with Ang Lee.

Matthew recalled Helen Herman mentioning that to ensure "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was acceptable to Western audiences, the script was written in English and then translated into Chinese. Ang Lee publicly stated that the film was essentially "Sense and Sensibility" in a martial arts guise. While the film may not have impressed those accustomed to pure martial arts movies like Matthew, its box office success and Oscar achievements proved that movies with a Western core and Eastern elements had significant appeal.

According to Bella Anderson's research, James Wan had expressed interest in incorporating traditional American horror with Eastern elements. Unlike Ang Lee, who explored various genres, Wan focused solely on horror and thriller, his primary interest. 

Bella Anderson's thorough research, prompted by Matthew's insistence, provided detailed insights into Wan. For instance, Wan described his breakout film, "Saw," as a "psychological thriller," differing from the gory, shocking nature of its sequels, in which he only participated as a producer. Wan emphasized his goal to create works that genuinely unsettle viewers rather than simply scare them, citing influences from "The Shining" and "The Exorcist," reflected in his subsequent films.

Wan's film "Dead Silence," with a $20 million budget, was considered a high-budget horror movie. Wan and his partner felt constrained by the studio, resulting in a less than perfect script and style. Wan intended to return to low-budget independent horror films to avoid similar constraints in the future. He planned to explore themes of possession and exorcism, focusing on "evil spirits" tied to religion, history, and dreams, and he was critical of the typical American horror formula involving reckless teenagers in isolated locations.

From Bella Anderson's research, Matthew formed a clear picture of James Wan as a director with innovative ideas in the horror genre. Horror films were known for their potential to achieve high returns on small investments in the North American market. Many small film companies thrived on producing B-grade horror films, which could recoup costs and generate profits through video and DVD sales even if they had brief theatrical runs.

James Wan's future potential as a horror director and his ability to create another low-budget hit like "Saw" were Matthew's primary concerns. The familiar feeling Matthew had upon seeing Wan's Chinese name suggested that Wan might be a significant figure in Hollywood.

Based on Bella Anderson's findings, James Wan had no peculiar habits aside from wanting to scare people with his films. Matthew reviewed the box office performance of Wan's films: "Saw" grossed $56 million in North America, "Saw II" over $87 million, "Saw III" over $80 million, and "Saw IV" over $63 million, with "Saw V" in production. While none of these films crossed the $100 million mark, their earnings were impressive for low-budget gore films, considering the limited audience for such extreme content.

"Dead Silence," with a $20 million budget, had a modest $16.8 million North American box office, though video and DVD sales were decent. Universal Studios had imposed a producer on Wan to restrict his directorial freedom.

From this, Matthew formed a strategy: if he ever collaborated with James Wan, it would be essential to keep the budget low and grant Wan suitable directorial freedom. 

The true potential of James Wan was yet to be seen. However, given his low-budget origins and the support of the "Saw" franchise, Wan had the potential to attract significant attention and investment if his subsequent films were successful.

Striking early was crucial in such cases. A few million dollars was a small investment for Matthew, and even if he lost it all, it wouldn't hurt him financially. But if Wan could replicate the success of "Saw," the profits could easily double.

These were merely plans. Specific actions would depend on Wan's performance after completing his current documentary. Matthew was willing to bet on Wan's future within a manageable risk.

The film industry was known for high risks and high rewards. Traditional manufacturing profits rarely exceeded 10%, but a successful film could generate much higher returns. 

Reflecting on his conversations with Wan, Matthew considered that this innovative horror director might even establish a horror universe. 

In the following days, Matthew visited the set of "Saw V" to observe the filming process of a gore movie, noticing Wan's effort to build a relationship with him. 

Understanding this, Matthew knew Wan likely recognized his potential as an investor, similar to his early relationship with David Ellison. For directors, having a financial backer was crucial.

Hollywood was ultimately a commercial circle where money often held significant meaning.

Matthew fantasized about creating a low-budget horror film with a box office return exceeding ten times the production cost. While not easy, it was a goal worth pursuing.

In early April, "I Am Legend" concluded its North American theatrical run with a gross of $363.2 million, while overseas box office reached $450 million, totaling over $815 million worldwide. Warner Bros. expected the global total to reach about $820 million.

This was a commercially successful film by all standards, demonstrating Matthew's strong box office appeal. Warner Bros. had begun negotiations with Helen Herman regarding the male lead for Christopher Nolan's new film. While the script was not finalized, Matthew instructed Helen to proceed with discussions, suspecting the project was "Inception."

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures and Stephen Sommers had not made progress on their new script, with Hasbro expressing concerns about starting over. The project's future remained uncertain.

In mid-April, the "Fast & Furious 4" crew left Disney Studios to film on the streets of Los Angeles.

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