The richest actor in Hollywood.

Back in Los Angeles, Matthew signed a new endorsement agreement with Rolex, becoming their full media spokesperson. He also took two days to shoot a new Rolex commercial. According to the agreement, he would be Rolex's second-most prominent spokesperson, just after Roger Federer, and the top ambassador in North America.

After that, he met with Christopher Nolan at the Warner Bros. building. Unlike the previous meeting, Nolan provided him with the latest completed script. 

Matthew read the script and confirmed that it was indeed the same "Inception" film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He took the script and the filming plan with him and instructed Helen Herman to officially begin negotiations with Warner Bros. to finalize the lead actor contract.

Warner Bros. had no doubts about his $20 million salary and agreed to a certain percentage of post-release box office profits, but the exact share would need to be negotiated further.

There was no rush in this regard, as Christopher Nolan still had some minor tweaks to make to "The Dark Knight." The preparation for the new film would only begin after "The Dark Knight" was released in July, and filming wouldn't start until next year.

There was plenty of time for negotiations.

Compared to the efficiency of Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros., there had been no new updates from Stephen Sommers and Paramount Pictures. Matthew no longer held out much hope for them, estimating that it would be difficult to completely overhaul the script due to Hasbro's involvement.

Hasbro would be an actual investor in the project, and they would definitely consider toy sales. The approach Matthew proposed, which focused entirely on one central character with supporting characters playing minor roles, would be very advantageous for the lead but not beneficial for merchandise sales.

However, Matthew wasn't willing to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of others.

If Duke couldn't be the absolute lead, then there was no point in further discussions.

He temporarily put this matter aside. If Stephen Sommers didn't actively reach out to him, he wouldn't proactively contact Sommers or Paramount Pictures either.

After all, he wasn't lacking in film offers.

Moreover, he didn't have the time or energy to focus on this toy-based movie for now. "Twilight" had entered post-production, and although producer Sean Daniel and Sofia Coppola were involved, he still needed to keep an eye on the post-production progress.

Additionally, there was only a little over half a month left before the release of "Iron Man."

Matthew had invested $40 million in this film, so he was determined to promote it vigorously.

In the following period, Matthew began promoting "Iron Man," attending various media events and promotional activities with the cast.

"The most important thing about this film is to tell people that Robert Downey Jr. is back!"

During the promotional events, Matthew praised Robert Downey Jr. without reservation, "In this era without heroes, there has always been no shortage of fictional figures for people to idolize. Hollywood's comic book heroes have already moved from the comic books to the big screen one after another, and now, the most popular comic book hero among women—Iron Man—couldn't resist flying onto the big screen as well."

He was full of praise. "Robert Downey Jr. brings many qualities to this Iron Man that we're about to see. He's violent, ambitious, and, of course, very popular with women."

The audience responded with applause, and Matthew and Robert Downey Jr. sat together, projecting an image of lasting friendship.

A reporter asked, "It's said that you recommended Robert Downey Jr. to the production team? Is that true, Matthew?"

The question was directed at Matthew, but Robert Downey Jr. quickly answered, "Yes, it was Matthew who recommended me to the team, and I've always been grateful for that."

But Matthew laughed and said, "Downey is being too modest." He paused and then added, "We all knew that Downey would definitely make a comeback. I can now responsibly tell everyone that the Downey who can act is really back! He's still as unorthodox as ever, and still as talkative."

At this point, both Matthew and Robert Downey Jr. laughed.

In front of the media, Robert Downey Jr.'s less-than-glamorous past would always be brought up, but he had matured and didn't shy away from discussing his past mistakes.

When a reporter asked about his drug use, he said, "In 2003, my career hit rock bottom because of drugs. One day, I had an experience that made me decide to completely quit drugs."

Hearing this, Matthew looked at Robert Downey Jr. curiously, knowing that quitting drugs was incredibly difficult. Downey had tried and failed to quit several times before 2003.

And it wasn't just about providing an answer; Downey needed to make it compelling and dramatic enough to capture people's attention, thereby helping promote "Iron Man."

"In 2003, I was driving around with a huge stash of drugs. When I got hungry, I stopped at a Burger King."

Downey spoke with such calmness, as if he had been reborn. "I have to thank Burger King. At the time, I bought a disgusting burger and a large drink, and I had a bad feeling in my gut. After eating that burger, I felt terrible and thought I had overdosed. So, I threw all the drugs into the ocean and made up my mind to seriously address my drug addiction."

Matthew nodded slightly, thinking this would become a famous anecdote whenever people discussed Robert Downey Jr.

However, since Burger King was one of the sponsors of "Iron Man," was it really okay for Downey to speak about the burger like that?

At Matthew's subtle prompting, the reporters then focused their questions on Robert Downey Jr.

"What made you choose this role?" a reporter from *Entertainment Weekly* asked. "It seems very different from your previous screen characters."

Robert Downey Jr., being a Hollywood veteran, handled the question with ease. "Many of my friends were involved in making this film. These days, making a sci-fi or comic book movie is no longer something out of the ordinary. Didn't Marlon Brando play a villain in 'Superman'? My previous disdainful attitude toward comic book movies was clearly too narrow-minded. Of course, this time, my choice is pretty bold."

He was in a good mood. "My friends often ask me, 'Buddy, what's going on? Are you trying to scrape together drug money again?'"

This comment elicited another round of laughter from the audience.

Matthew laughed too. Perhaps someone else could have succeeded as Iron Man, but Robert Downey Jr.'s natural quirkiness undoubtedly made him a perfect fit for Tony Stark's personality.

A reporter from the *New York Post* asked a rather far-fetched question, "If you ran into Tony Stark on a street corner, what would you say to him?"

Downey's response was also unexpected, "I'd tell him, you're definitely an imposter."

He thought for a moment and then added, "I don't necessarily imagine meeting the characters I play in real life. I'm past the age of fantasizing about such things. I've learned to separate myself from the characters I play. When I filmed 'Less Than Zero' and 'Chaplin,' I couldn't do that yet. Back then, acting wasn't just about dancing with a character for 16 hours a day; I couldn't be that carefree."

A TMZ reporter then asked a typically TMZ question, "Did you hang out with any playboys to get into character as Tony Stark?"

"No need to go out of my way to learn; I have an expert in that area right beside me." Robert Downey Jr., as previously arranged, looked at Matthew and smiled, saying, "Matthew is even more popular with women than Tony Stark. With a 'public lover' like him giving me pointers, it was easy to handle that aspect."

Matthew seamlessly picked up the conversation, "I told Downey, the most important thing is humor!"

This was consistent with what he had said in previous interviews.

Of course, everyone knew why Iron Man was popular with women. It could all be summed up in one sentence.

If someone asked what Iron Man's special power was, he wouldn't say the Iron Man suit, but—money!

The interview ended with laughter, and after the coverage was published, it was very well received. Headlines like "Matthew Horner Teaches Iron Man How to Pick Up Women" were particularly attention-grabbing.

Globally, people were quite fond of the "a wayward son returns" trope, and the team had tailored a similar strategy around Robert Downey Jr.'s characteristics.

Paramount Pictures' marketing campaign for "Iron Man" was also in full swing, with promotional pieces like "Iron Man Battles F-22 Raptor Fighter Jets," "Ultimate 'Iron Man' Trailer Leaks, Stunning Special Effects Revealed," "New 'Iron Man' Stills Released, Robert Downey Jr. Surrounded by Beauties," and "Tony Stark Blows Up a Tank in New Clip" flooding the media.

Even when the female lead, Gwyneth Paltrow, fell ill, the team used it as a publicity angle, claiming that she was overworked from filming "Iron Man," leading to health issues.

"Overwork Causes Gwyneth Paltrow to Lose Weight Drastically and Severely Exhausts Her."

As long as it didn't cross legal boundaries, Hollywood's marketing tactics for movies were dizzying.

Finally, as May arrived, the North American summer movie season kicked off, and "Iron Man" held a grand premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Tony Stark was about to be introduced to audiences worldwide.

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