"Michael, we've been friends for a long time," said Matthew, looking at Michael Bay, who had come specifically to visit him in the sitting room of Horner Manor. "Just tell me what's on your mind."
Michael Bay didn't hold back and said, "Matthew, we've worked together on the Mercedes-Benz commercials before, and I've always wanted to collaborate with you on a movie."
Matthew smiled but didn't respond directly to Michael Bay's comment. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a new project in the works?"
Matthew had a good impression of many of Michael Bay's films, even the flopped "The Island" which had been the last straw that broke DreamWorks. The movie had its thrilling moments.
When it came to destruction, explosions, car crashes, and action scene editing, this typical commercial director indeed had his own unique style.
Helen Herman had told him before that Michael Bay's action scene editing style had led a technical revolution in Hollywood action movie editing. Many of his short action scene edits were considered textbook classics.
However, his shortcomings were also evident and had become more pronounced in recent years: he didn't know how to hold back.
Michael Bay was a man born for explosions, always trying to cram as many action scenes as possible into his films, which sometimes left viewers dizzy.
Of course, without that, Michael Bay wouldn't be known as a man born when a comet struck the Earth.
"Have you heard of Transformers?" Michael Bay asked in return.
"The Hasbro toys?" Matthew certainly knew about Transformers.
Could it be that Michael Bay wanted him to act in Transformers? He had heard of this DreamWorks project, which had already started filming.
Michael Bay got straight to the point, saying, "DreamWorks is producing this film. I'm the director, and Steven is the producer. The filming has already wrapped up, and the post-production is nearing completion..."
He glanced at Matthew and continued, "The main characters in this film are the Transformers, which are robots created entirely with CGI. We need voice actors."
Hearing this, Matthew understood, "You want me to voice Optimus Prime?"
Though Optimus Prime was renowned as the universe's top machine hero, he was very fond of the character. Voicing Optimus Prime could be considered, provided the payment was right.
"Not Optimus Prime," Michael Bay smiled. "The voice actor for Optimus Prime is Peter Cullen, the original voice actor from the animated series."
Frankly, the entire cast of the crew was too weak, which was unfavorable for promotion. Relying solely on the fans of Transformers toys and animations was insufficient to support the production cost of such a high-budget film. The crew needed a high-profile figure without paying too much.
Therefore, after discussing it with Spielberg, they decided to make a big deal out of the voice actors.
"We want to invite you to voice Megatron. Matthew, your voice in '300' was wild, rough, and full of domineering power, exuding an aura that could lead subordinates to charge forward and be willing to die. This matches Megatron's character perfectly."
Matthew didn't respond immediately. Optimus Prime and Megatron were almost synonymous with Transformers. Actually, back in his day, Megatron was more charismatic than Optimus Prime. He remembered when he first saw the Transformers animation, all the kids in school wanted to be Megatron. This domineering big brother was more attractive than the ever-victorious Optimus Prime.
"Voice acting doesn't require too much time, at most a week or so. The crew can adjust the work schedule according to your availability," Michael Bay said, pulling a thin script from his briefcase and pushing it toward Matthew. "This is Megatron's script. You can take a look."
Matthew took the script but didn't open it. Instead, he said, "Michael, have the crew contact my agent, Helen Herman."
Michael Bay nodded slightly, not expecting Matthew to agree immediately.
The crew allocated a specific budget to invite Matthew Horner for voice acting, mainly to ride on his fame. This Hollywood A-lister's box office appeal was incredibly strong. After the failure of "The Island," his situation had been very poor. Without Spielberg's support, he might have ended up with no films to shoot. "Transformers" couldn't afford any mistakes; the consequences were too severe for him to bear.
If "Transformers" succeeded, he could make a comeback. If it failed, the future would be bleak.
After a few more polite exchanges, Michael Bay left Horner Manor.
After sending off Michael Bay, Matthew called Helen Herman to explain the situation. He left the work details to Helen Herman. He didn't mind voicing a character he once liked, as long as the "Transformers" crew offered a satisfactory salary.
If the pay wasn't enough, there was no need to discuss it further.
Of course, he understood that the pay for a voice actor couldn't compare to acting in person.
Shortly after Michael Bay left, Matthew received a call from Clint Eastwood. The old cowboy appreciated how he had embarrassed Spike Lee, who had become a laughingstock and could no longer stir up trouble over racial issues.
With his performance on the talk show, no media would take Spike Lee seriously anymore.
Clint Eastwood also mentioned that many members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had reached a consensus not to accept Oscar submissions from Spike Lee or "Inside Man."
Hearing this, Matthew realized that Spike Lee had been hounding him like a mad dog to retaliate, but there was a deeper motive. If things continued, Spike Lee, as a black director and the first to stand up, would have reaped significant benefits.
Indeed, many actions in this circle had underlying interests.
Thinking of Spike Lee, Matthew thought of Will Smith. He vaguely remembered seeing an advertisement for a film starring Will Smith this holiday season, based on a true story about a black man. Jada Smith jumping into the fray wasn't just about a leading man contest.
If everything had gone according to Spike Lee's plan, a purely black film could have benefited greatly from this incident.
The famous Will Smith was indeed not an ordinary person.
After noon, Matthew left Horner Manor and went to a gym in Westwood, introducing Niebola to David Ellison.
Probably influenced by "300," David Ellison had suddenly taken an interest in fitness, often asking where Matthew had developed his muscles. So, Matthew introduced him to Niebola's gym.
"Did I hear you practice close combat?" David Ellison, in full gear, stepped into the ring, watching Matthew warm up. "Wanna spar?"
While stretching his wrists, Matthew sized up David Ellison's slim frame and asked, "Have you trained?"
David Ellison earnestly warmed up and said, "I practiced hand-to-hand combat with my dad's bodyguards."
"Alright," Matthew hadn't sparred in a while. "Let's give it a try."
He glanced at David Ellison and told Niebola, who was nearby, "Full protective gear."
Niebola immediately brought helmets and chest protectors. When handing them to Matthew, he whispered, "Take it easy; you guys aren't in the same weight class."
Matthew nodded slightly, "I know."
"David," he walked over to David Ellison. "Put these on."
"What are these..." David Ellison hesitated.
"Just in case," Matthew insisted, putting the chest protector on David Ellison's head. David Ellison glanced at the muscles under Matthew's sweatshirt and obediently put on the full protective gear.
Once ready, they separated, bumped fists briefly, and David Ellison's eyes fixed on Matthew.
He had indeed practiced with a bodyguard and immediately kicked towards Matthew's ribs.
Matthew easily blocked David Ellison's leg and lightly kicked his supporting leg. As Niebola had advised, he used only about thirty or forty percent of his strength. Even so, David Ellison couldn't stand and fell heavily.
"Stop!"
David Ellison raised a hand quickly, conceding immediately, "I surrender!"
With that one move, he knew that continuing would only lead to more punishment.
Matthew walked over and helped David Ellison up. David Ellison shook his sore leg and complained, "That hurts."
"I used less than forty percent of my strength," Matthew said, spreading his hands.
"Forget it, let's not spar," David Ellison shook his head, "I'm no match for a monster like you."
He took off the protective gear and tossed it to Niebola outside the ring. Then, he looked towards the rest area and said to Matthew, "Shall we chat over there?"
Seeing David Ellison's demeanor, Matthew knew he had something to say and nodded, "Sure." He signaled Niebola, "David and I are heading to the rest area for a while."
Niebola, who had known Matthew for a long time, replied immediately, "Go ahead. I'll have the rest area temporarily closed off to avoid any interruptions."
Matthew climbed out of the ring first, followed by David Ellison. They both headed to the rest area, ordered some sports drinks, and even sent away the waitstaff.
"What's up?" Matthew asked.
"Well," David Ellison took a sip from his cup and said, "I met with the head of Universal Pictures' film department this morning and talked about 'Fast and Furious.'"
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