Chapter 106: **Chapter 107: We Must Properly 'Thank' Mr. Wayne**
Lord Yuan, who had been keeping to himself, subconsciously moved his lips upon hearing this. He wanted to say that even Asian female action stars could still fight well into their 40s.
However, as someone with a typical Chinese aesthetic, he also thought that Lucy Liu didn't look particularly good. She really didn't fit the role of the beautiful Ada Wong, so in the end, he chose to stay silent.
As a result, Nolan was successfully convinced.
It wasn't just the producer—an experienced director also needs to learn how to control costs.
Although Zhang Ziyi's image was a bit lacking, her fame was decent, and she was cheap. All things considered, she was the most suitable choice.
Susan knew Zhang Ziyi had an affair with Wayne, so after confirming the decision, she wasted no time and contacted Mike to inform Zhang Ziyi.
Upon learning that she had successfully secured the role of Ada Wong, Zhang Ziyi felt a weight lift off her shoulders, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Especially when she found out that it was Wayne who insisted on casting her, she became even more attentive to Wayne.
"Mike, I heard Mr. Wayne is coming back soon, right?"
"Uh, yes, that's correct."
"When Mr. Wayne returns, be sure to let me know right away. I must properly thank him."
As she spoke, Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but lick her lips, feeling a rush of excitement. Unlike before, she didn't feel any reluctance toward thanking Wayne. In fact, she was looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that Wayne had already lost interest in her.
Nolan and Susan weren't wrong in their assessment. Her figure wasn't great, and her face could only be described as plain. Aside from her star status, she held no appeal to Wayne.
Next were the auditions for the male second, third, and fourth roles in the two upcoming movies.
In *Resident Evil 1*, the male second lead was 'Spence,' who steals the T-virus and gets knocked out by the Hive's defense mechanism. The third male lead was the computer expert 'Kaplan' from the group of mercenaries. And the fourth male lead, of course, was 'James,' the mercenary captain who gets sliced into pieces by the laser traps.
Honestly, in the original *Resident Evil 1*, 'James' and 'Kaplan' left a deeper impression on the audience than the male lead 'Matt.'
So, in the interest of the film's quality, Wayne personally selected some 'seed' candidates.
He chose Heath Ledger, known for his role as 'Joker,' to play 'Spence.' Samuel L. Jackson, often called 'Egghead,' was picked for 'James.' No further explanation needed there.
For 'Kaplan,' Wayne initially considered Tobey Maguire.
At that time, Tobey Maguire had already appeared in several films, but he wasn't as well-known. His most successful leading role was in *The Cider House Rules* with Charlize Theron, which made about $88 million globally.
In comparison, Wayne's own lead role in *Accepted* grossed $180 million worldwide, more than double Tobey's earnings. Tobey was still a second-tier actor, on the lower end.
For the relatively small role of 'Kaplan,' $2 million was enough to secure him.
However, upon learning that *Spider-Man 1* was also set to start filming in mid-January, Wayne changed his mind, as *Spider-Man 1* was crucial to his grand plan of bringing the Marvel Universe to the screen.
Interestingly, during this time, Avi Arad had used the newly invested $10 million to successfully reacquire the rights to *Iron Man* and *Hulk*. The buyback price for *Iron Man* was 1.5 times what it had sold for, and *Hulk* cost three times its original price.
Even so, the total cost was under $5 million.
The characters had been sold far too cheaply back then.
Additionally, per Wayne's instructions, Avi Arad had also repurchased the rights to *Deadpool* from Fox.
Deadpool, with his unique anti-hero persona, could easily fit into either standalone films or the *Avengers* series. The rights only cost $800,000—a bargain.
Moreover, Arad had begun negotiations with Constantin Film and Sony Columbia to repurchase the rights to *Fantastic Four* and *Spider-Man*.
Although reclaiming all the rights would be extremely difficult, securing shared rights seemed feasible.
Since Tobey Maguire was tied up with *Spider-Man 1*, Wayne didn't assign him the role of 'Kaplan.'
This turned the role into the most fiercely contested part of the entire *Resident Evil 1* casting process.
By fate, the role ultimately went to one of Nolan's personal favorites—Cillian Murphy, who had only been in Hollywood for less than two years and was relatively unknown.
Yes, the same Cillian Murphy who played 'Scarecrow' in *The Dark Knight Trilogy* and 'Robert Oppenheimer' in *Oppenheimer*.
Murphy was a distinctive and low-key actor with immense talent. Although he had never won an Oscar or even been nominated, his performances were consistently outstanding.
In his previous life, he had built a steady career, ultimately becoming the lead in *Oppenheimer*, where even Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon played supporting roles to him.
In the auditions for *Resident Evil 2*, the most hotly contested role was undoubtedly the third female lead, 'Terry.'
Naomi, Annie, Megan, and two actresses from CAA all vied for this role. After deliberating, Susan and Nolan decided that Naomi, who had the most fame and acting ability, was the best choice.
Megan secured the role of the fifth female lead, the unnamed girl who jumps off a building after being bitten by a zombie in front of the male lead, 'Carlos.'
Annie, however, didn't get any role. Enraged, she nearly smashed her phone upon hearing the news.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
"Losing to that old hag Naomi is one thing, but Megan?! She beat me and got the role! This is rigged!"
"Yes, it must be because Susan and Nolan saw that both of them are Mike's clients, so they gave them the roles!"
Alone in her spacious, well-lit bedroom, Annie sat on the bed, furiously smashing a pillow in frustration.
But this didn't change the outcome of the auditions.
As for the other key roles, Wayne chose Jason Statham for the part of 'Peyton,' the black colleague of Valentine and the second male lead.
Statham had only debuted in 1998 at the age of 31 and had just played a supporting role in Brad Pitt's *Snatch* earlier this year.
(Chapter End)
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