By the second week of both films' release, the battle continued.
In terms of quality, however, Rush Hour 3 was indeed significantly better. Moreover, with so many Hollywood celebrities publicly recommending it, its momentum far exceeded that of Bad Boys II.
Michael Bay was furious. Privately, he complained to Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob: "If I had Gilbert's status, wouldn't all these people be speaking for me?"
Michael Ovitz sighed: "Benjamin, that's exactly right."
The long-faced director was unhappy. He believed his Bad Boys II was no worse than Rush Hour 3, and in fact more proper than Rush Hour 3.
But because of Gilbert's powerful box office appeal, people would support a film the moment they saw his name listed as producer.
Hollywood's trend-chasing stars only knew how to kiss up. Michael Bay—well, right now, he truly couldn't compare to Gilbert.
But he had the future! Why couldn't people see his future?
Michael Bay had a bad temper, and once angry, he couldn't think calmly.
But if he thought about it, he'd realize: yes, he did have a future, and was still considered a relatively young director. But Gilbert was even younger—five years younger.
Michael Bay was born in 1965, while Gilbert was born in 1970, just on the edge of the seventies generation.
A five-year gap wasn't much, yet Gilbert at age five years younger had already won two Academy Awards for Best Director, while Michael Bay couldn't even handle Pearl Harbor.
After all, back in 1997, Gilbert had already made the classic World War II film Saving Private Ryan.
Not only did it smash the box office, but it also won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Now with Rush Hour 3 and Bad Boys II, it seemed to be another small clash between Gilbert and Michael Bay.
Yet Gilbert hadn't even entered the field himself—just his shadow alone defeated Michael Bay. That was suffocating for Bay.
Compared to Bay's frustration, Gilbert felt nothing. He and Bay were simply no longer in the same league.
What did surprise Gilbert, however, was how many stars had come forward to support Rush Hour 3. He hadn't even spoken to any of them.
Naomi Watts and Cameron Diaz showing support was natural—they were family. But DiCaprio and others had no such obligation.
This made Gilbert think of a film from his previous life called The Ferryman. Its reputation had been disastrous, blasted by audiences.
Its director Zhang Jiajia was widely mocked: "If Zhang Jiajia counts as a director, then Guo Xiaosi must be a master filmmaker."
Yet the film's producer and supervisor, Wong Kar-wai, did not stay neutral. Instead, he published a blog post:
"In truth, the world is vast, more than just north and south. To demand perfection is to stagnate.
In your eyes this is just a film, to me it is a world. True greatness comes with flaws—without imperfection there is no progress. The Ferryman ferries others and oneself."
Once that post went out, nearly half the entertainment industry's stars rushed to flatter him, including Self-Loving Yang, Da Mi Mi, Immortal Sister, Heavenly Love Zhang, Song Qian, and many more.
Why did these stars do this? Merely to win Wong Kar-wai's favor.
Some small hipster circles also claimed to love the film, as a way to distinguish their "unique" tastes from the public.
Only a few, like Wang Chuanjun, bluntly said they didn't like it, and were promptly attacked by hordes of fans.
Wong Kar-wai, like Gilbert, was a producer.
The difference was, Rush Hour 3 was not a confusing disaster like The Ferryman. At the very least, it was a competent commercial film.
Gilbert's filmmaking philosophy was entirely different. Wong Kar-wai was undeniably talented and had made great films, but his movies drifted away from the audience and away from reality.
To borrow an old saying: only the kind of art loved by the masses can truly endure.
The art that appeals only to a self-admiring few quickly dies as its audience disappears.
Thus, Gilbert always followed one principle when producing films: whatever the majority of audiences enjoyed—that was what he wanted to make.
Otherwise, he could have just produced every past Oscar Best Picture winner, but then he wouldn't be who he was today.
That said, Gilbert still expressed gratitude to the stars who had shown their support. When he called Tom Hanks, Hanks even asked:
"I wonder if we'll have the chance to work together again? Our collaboration on Saving Private Ryan is still vivid in my memory."
Gilbert thought for a moment: "Actually, there really is one project. It's a crime film. I don't know if you'd be interested?"
"Oh?" Tom Hanks perked up. "Tell me about it. What kind of story is it?"
Gilbert briefly outlined the story of Project Gutenberg, then asked: "If I cast you together with Tom Cruise, would you be willing?"
"This…" Tom Hanks hesitated.
The two had never worked together, almost as if deliberately avoiding each other.
But Gilbert wanted to assemble both superstars. With that, the appeal alone was enough—the plot hardly mattered.
The source of Hanks's hesitation was obvious. Since the 1990s, Hollywood had constantly compared the two.
For years, Tom Hanks's box office success and two consecutive Oscars had kept him firmly ahead of Tom Cruise.
But now Cruise, with Nicole Kidman, played up their loving marriage, their blissful family, their daughter being Gilbert's goddaughter—plus his own Best Actor trophy and the blockbuster Mission: Impossible franchise.
His fame, prestige, and foundation were every bit as strong as Hanks's, perhaps even stronger.
If this project tilted too far, Hanks feared it would mean another loss.
But on the other hand, if he could overshadow Cruise in this film, then perhaps it would prove once and for all who was the greatest superstar of the 1990s—the true representative of Hollywood.
Although Hanks appeared on the surface to be Hollywood's "nice guy," just acting and avoiding disputes, in this industry of fame and fortune, competition was unavoidable.
Without competing, one could never achieve the desired status and fame—never become a Hollywood superstar.
Which Hollywood superstar hadn't fought their way through? Even with backing, one still needed their own cunning and ability.
Lucky cases like Britney Spears were rare exceptions.
With this thought, Hanks agreed: "I can do it. But what about him? Can you convince him?"
"Don't worry. As long as you agree, he definitely will too," Gilbert said with a smile.
With Tom Hanks secured, Project Gutenberg could move forward smoothly. Otherwise, Gilbert had been considering making The Last of Us first.
Turning back, Gilbert went to visit Tom Cruise at his home to discuss the matter.
"Suri, come here, let your godfather hold you…"
Suri ran into Gilbert's arms, sweetly calling out: "Godfather…"
"Ah," Gilbert replied warmly.
The little girl had inherited her parents' looks—it was already clear she would grow up to be a beauty.
Gilbert treated his goddaughter quite well. He put around Suri's neck a protective charm he had brought back from China, made of jade.
"Go play now, I need to talk with your father about something." Gilbert patted the little girl's head.
Suri was very obedient. She ran off, leaving the space to the adults.
Watching her back, Gilbert chuckled: "Such a well-behaved child—I really like this girl."
Tom Cruise, hearing this, was overjoyed: "Suri likes you too. She often asks me to invite you over!"
"Yes," Nicole Kidman chimed in, "she even said she wanted to bake cookies for you, though she must have forgotten today!"
Nowadays, the role of godfather was not the same as before. It had become more symbolic—two families who were close would let their children recognize a godfather, making their future paths easier.
For Italians, the word godfather had carried much heavier significance in earlier times, because Italians placed great importance on family and clan ties.
To acknowledge a godfather meant becoming family.
But in modern times, this tradition had largely been forgotten by younger Italians or Italian-Americans raised in the United States.
Though the Landrini family was of Italian descent, they were also squid-people, and did not place as much importance on traditional customs.
Still, since Gilbert had taken on a goddaughter, he would be responsible for Suri's future to some degree.
As the daughter of two superstars, Suri was certain to enter Hollywood one day, and she would need Gilbert's support when that time came.
After some small talk, Gilbert finally said: "I've already spoken with Hanks. Tom, now we're just waiting on you to get started."
"Is this that story about counterfeit money you mentioned before?" Tom Cruise asked.
"It is. The film has a dual male-lead structure, and I need two evenly matched actors. There's no one in Hollywood more fitting than the two of you." Gilbert laid out his casting rationale.
Tom Cruise looked at Gilbert: "You know, buddy, whenever you need me, I've never turned you down. This time is no different."
"So, you're agreeing to take the role?"
"Of course. Opportunities to act alongside Mr. Hanks don't come often." Tom Cruise exchanged a glance with Nicole Kidman.
Nicole Kidman hesitated, which Gilbert noticed, and asked: "What is it, Mary…"
Nicole Kidman said, "I wanted to ask—does the film have a role suitable for me? Could I be part of it?"
There was indeed such a role, but Charlize Theron had expressed interest early on, and Gilbert could not give it to someone else.
Still, it would be inappropriate to reject her outright, so Gilbert asked: "Do you have the time in your schedule?"
"Darling," Tom Cruise reminded her, "you still have Something's Gotta Give and 21 Grams waiting for filming and release this year."
Nicole Kidman thought for a moment and realized it was true—she had no free time, so she dropped the idea.
After all, she still had The Lord of the Rings series. Though not the lead, at least it saved her from the curse of being called a box office poison.
Poor Nicole Kidman—perhaps because she had not divorced Tom Cruise, his streak of bad luck had rubbed off on her.
Tom Cruise had won an Oscar for Best Actor, while she had yet to win Best Actress.
That was why Nicole Kidman was eager to have children with Tom Cruise. A pregnancy could easily be used for publicity, giving her a chance to claim the Oscar for Best Actress.
The pregnancy tactic was indeed effective. Over the years, most actresses nominated for Best Actress who announced pregnancies ended up winning the award.
Of course, the prerequisite was that the pregnancy had to be real, not fabricated—hence Nicole Kidman's urgency.
After setting a time with Tom Cruise to clear his schedule, Gilbert took his leave.
With the two superstars secured, and Charlize Theron joining as well, the film's lineup had become incredibly powerful.
...
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