Upon hearing Matthew's question, Orlando Bloom immediately made a decision. It made no difference whether Matthew knew about this a few days earlier or later, but it would make a huge difference if he told Matthew himself rather than Matthew finding out from the media.
He could completely pin it on the production crew and Universal Pictures. An ordinary small star would have no way to inquire with the crew and Universal Pictures, and such matters also involved the crew's future publicity and secrecy. Even Stephen Sommers couldn't casually mention it to anyone outside the crew.
For example, when his agent was negotiating with the crew, a producer representing the crew mentioned a condition: both parties must maintain a unified stance and include a confidentiality clause, publicly stating that Universal Pictures had considered him as the male lead from the beginning.
He understood the purpose of this; it was simply to leverage his current popularity and attract more fans, brought by Legolas, to the film.
In a brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through Orlando Bloom's mind, and then he directly addressed Matthew's question.
"It's not just interest," he said in a calm voice. "Matthew, besides congratulating you, I actually have something else to tell you today."
Matthew cooperatively asked, "What is it?" He said casually, "We're friends. If you need help, just say so."
A trace of guilt flashed in Orlando Bloom's heart. "I... um, last month I received an invitation." He glanced at Matthew, seeing that he still looked sincere and trusting, which deepened his guilt. He continued, "Universal Pictures and the crew invited me to play the role of Van Helsing. Stephen Sommers even specifically invited me to dinner to discuss it."
"Uh..." Matthew was slightly stunned, then realized Orlando Bloom was speaking of his own accord, and asked, "Did you accept?"
"Still..." Orlando Bloom hesitated slightly and said, "My agent is very keen and has been in contact with Universal Pictures and the crew. I know you're interested in this role, so I've been hesitating."
He spoke as if it were true.
"What's there to hesitate about?!" Matthew seemed completely unconcerned. "Don't hesitate, just take it if you can!"
Orlando Bloom looked at Matthew. "Aren't you also trying to..."
"I've already told you, the executives at Universal Pictures believe my appeal doesn't match a $160 million blockbuster." Even now, Universal Pictures still thought Matthew's fame and status didn't align with such an A-list project. "My chances of getting the role of Van Helsing are very low."
Orlando Bloom's agent had been dealing with Universal Pictures, so he knew Matthew was telling the truth.
Matthew's tone changed, and he added, "Orlando, the reality is right here. If you can get this role, I'll only be happy. We're friends!" He sounded even more sincere than Orlando Bloom. "Isn't that how friends should be?"
"Yes," Orlando Bloom nodded subconsciously.
Suddenly, his heart was filled with guilt, because they were friends, Matthew invited him to be a guest! Because they were friends, Matthew told him some heartfelt words and relatively secret news! Because they were friends, Matthew had no defenses against him! And because they were friends, Matthew would encourage him to take on this role.
Seeing Matthew cherish their friendship so much, and then thinking about everything he had done, Orlando Bloom felt especially bad for his friend.
Yet, he couldn't say any of this, couldn't show it, which made him exceptionally frustrated.
"Matthew..." All of Orlando Bloom's thoughts condensed into one sentence: "Thank you!"
"You're too polite."
Matthew appropriately switched to a joking tone. "I'm still waiting for you to become an A-lister. Then, with a friend like you, won't I have more opportunities too?"
After he finished speaking, he laughed, and Orlando Bloom also started to laugh.
The two then had a very engaging conversation until Orlando Bloom went to find Stephen Sommers and several Universal Pictures executives, at which point they stopped.
Not long after Orlando Bloom left, Helen Herman came over. She pulled out a chair and sat in the spot where Orlando Bloom had just been.
"Why do I always feel like there's something mysterious going on between you and Orlando Bloom?" Helen Herman glanced towards Orlando Bloom's direction and suddenly asked, "You... you don't have that kind of interest in him, do you?"
"What?" Matthew's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm interested in him? Don't joke around, my sexual orientation is perfectly normal, and it will always be perfectly normal."
Although Hollywood was full of homosexuals and bisexuals, he would certainly forge ahead on the path of heterosexuality.
Matthew turned to the main topic and said, "I got some not-so-good news from a friend, and I was just trying to get information out of Orlando Bloom."
Helen Herman casually asked, "Did you get it out of him?"
"Of course!" Matthew lowered his voice and said, "Universal Pictures and the crew have already decided that Orlando Bloom will be the male lead!"
"What?" Helen Herman seemed disbelieving. "Are you sure?"
Matthew said very seriously, "It should be true. Orlando Bloom's agent has already started negotiating with the crew. Universal Pictures will probably announce it soon."
Helen Herman's voice suddenly became a little low. "I was negligent. I've mainly been focusing on this recently and overlooked that crew."
"That's fine too," Matthew said, seizing the opportunity. "The two crews and roles were already in conflict. We can focus on fighting for one role now."
"That's all we can do."
Despite saying this, Helen Herman still decided to go back and first confirm if it was true. If it was, then she would let it go.
She knew her own weight and absolutely couldn't make Universal Pictures change its decision on such a large project.
Helen Herman quickly adjusted her mood and said to Matthew, "The crew has no more publicity events. After tonight, this job will be over. Forget about it. Starting tomorrow, we'll go all out to conquer!"
"Okay!" Matthew completely agreed with Helen Herman. "We'll do everything we can to win that handsome swordsman."
But it wasn't so easy to just cast aside at once. Matthew spoke lightly, but it was difficult to do. After all, this was his first movie as a male lead, and the prop sword used during filming, which the crew later gave him as a gift, was still hanging in his living room.
In addition, the box office of was also something he couldn't ignore.
By early June, had been shown in North American cinemas for ten weeks. This typical fast-consumption movie had exhausted its theatrical potential and successfully withdrew from the last hundred-plus theaters, leaving Universal Pictures with a striking box office figure of $115.67 million.
Through the North American market alone, Universal Pictures was able to recoup its production costs and distribution expenses, and even generate some meager profits.
In terms of overseas markets, the number of countries and regions where was screened had increased to over eighty, with cumulative overseas box office approaching $75 million. According to Universal Pictures' estimates, the final overseas box office should be between $85 million and $90 million, basically with no hope of exceeding $100 million.
For Matthew, this was also good news. Even $85 million would be enough to push the total global box office of past the $200 million mark.
One hundred million dollars in North America and two hundred million dollars globally, for him, the absolute protagonist of this, was very beneficial for him to compete for the little blacksmith in.
All of these could directly translate into his capital.
After its theatrical run, Universal Pictures immediately released the film's DVD and videotapes. Matthew didn't pay much attention to these less intuitive figures, only hearing that sales were decent.
In fact, Hollywood stars looking for work seems very complicated, but as the film industry has developed, it can be summarized relatively simply: as long as you can bring profits to the crew and film company, you will naturally be popular.
Why do Hollywood film companies make movies? Presumably, no one would say it's for art, or to improve the cultivation of all mankind, and so on. Ultimately, it's for profit.
Besides the box office of, Matthew also paid attention to another matter: in early June, Universal officially announced that they had signed an acting contract with popular actor Orlando Bloom, making him the male lead of Van Helsing.
At the same time, it was also confirmed that British actress Kate Beckinsale would play the female lead.
This English rose, after her role in, showed a very clear upward trend, climbing from second-tier to first-tier. If successful, Hollywood would certainly see a new A-list actress.
Unfortunately, many stars fail when trying to break into the A-list from the B-list, making it difficult not only to cross the A-list threshold but also to maintain their original B-list position.
Also in early June, Walt Disney's Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films jointly held a press conference, officially announcing that they would produce a fantasy adventure action film of the same name, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, with a production budget of $140 million.
Like, such a super-large project, once announced, caused a strong reaction, becoming the focus of attention both inside and outside the industry.
It is well known that Jerry Bruckheimer is always a guarantee of success. For actors who want to climb the ladder, catching a ride on Jerry Bruckheimer's coattails is definitely a shortcut to stardom.
Matthew completely put out of his mind and, with his agent Helen Herman, began to fully compete for one of the main roles in it.