When an opportunity arises to create a headline-grabbing topic, Murphy never hesitates. The female reporter's question immediately intrigued him, prompting him to abandon routine responses. In a brief moment, he thought of a more suitable answer.
Frankly, while 'Chaos City' had received good reviews, it couldn't escape the limitations of an original, non-sequel film. Its box office growth didn't quite match the $300 million investment in production and marketing.
With the new week starting tomorrow, 'Chaos City' would face the challenge of weekday screenings. Without generating more publicity, it might experience a significant drop in box office revenue after the first weekend, similar to most original films.
A decline in weekday box office earnings is normal, but seeing daily revenue plummet from millions to two or three million dollars is something no one wants to witness.
Murphy had a purpose for giving such an answer.
The female reporter played along and immediately asked curiously, "What film was it originally intended for? We haven't seen a similar film released."
"It was just a plan that was ultimately scrapped." Murphy deliberately left some suspense. "To be precise, the production company vetoed the plan."
For a director like him, every event is newsworthy, especially when it involves a film project being rejected.
All the reporters present simultaneously realized this was a potentially sensational film news story. They were curious about which production company would reject a project from such a renowned director.
Brad Hansbein from The New York Times asked, "Murphy, which company was it? Can you tell us?"
"Hmm..." Murphy appeared hesitant, as if he was reluctant to talk about it.
The female reporter urged, "Your fans definitely want to know about this."
Other reporters joined in, "The public has a right to know!"
"Yes!"
"Which company was it?"
Amidst the clamor of questions, Murphy raised his hand to signal for silence. Once the noise subsided, he said, "A few years ago, I was preparing to work with Warner Bros."
Upon hearing Warner Bros., all the reporters perked up. Those in the know were aware that Murphy's relationship with Warner Bros. and DC Comics, despite their collaboration on the masterpiece 'Man of Steel,' had been strained due to disagreements over remuneration and adaptation routes.
Having begun, Murphy saw no reason to stop. "As you might guess, 'Chaos City' is not just one film but a series."
The reporters nodded slightly. This was already evident in the film, where James Franco's magician character was clearly set up for more than a cameo, and the murderer of Reina seemed to be connected to the character played by Jay Rachel's senator father, whose story had yet to be concluded.
It was obvious that this film would have a sequel, or even a third part, forming a complete trilogy.
Having completely reworked the story, Murphy had no concerns about copyright issues with DC. "This 'Chaos City' trilogy was initially written for Batman."
"What?"
"What?"
"Batman?"
"Batman trilogy?"
"He considered adapting Batman?"
The reporters were in an uproar, surprised to hear Batman's name from Murphy.
"Yes, Batman!" Murphy wanted this effect. He continued, "Although 'Chaos City' is significantly different in story and plot from the original Batman project, the framework and theme remain unchanged."
He smiled, "In fact, Batman's dark knight identity fits perfectly with this film."
These were film reporters and Hollywood journalists with some industry knowledge. Thinking about the lead in 'Chaos City' and then Bruce Wayne, if you replaced New York with Gotham, the character settings of both Wayne and Chris Dane were very suitable for the film's theme and atmosphere.
In some aspects, these two characters had similarities, such as both losing their fathers at a young age. However, Bruce Wayne's father was a genuinely good man, while Chris Dane's father only appeared good in his son's eyes.
Murphy sighed deeply, "Unfortunately, Warner Bros. thought my adaptation completely overturned the comic, deeming it too dark and heavy. They vetoed the plan, so I had to start anew..."
He shook his head vigorously, looking very regretful.
Brad Hansbein from The New York Times asked, "Murphy, can you talk about why Warner Bros. rejected it?"
"They believed the story was too dark, heavy, and depressing..." Murphy shrugged. "The rest, I don't know. You'll have to ask the people at Warner Bros."
Murphy signaled to Grace, who immediately stepped forward and announced loudly, "Today's interview ends here. Thank you all for your attention!"
A few bodyguards created a path and escorted Murphy and Grace to the van. Gal Gadot and Margot Robbie were already waiting inside.
"Grace," Murphy instructed, "Inform Kara Faith and Bill about what was said earlier and let them handle it accordingly."
He glanced at Margot Robbie and then, lowering his voice, said to Grace, "Notify our anti-fan organization to spread this information online and make sure this topic gains traction."
After coming up with the idea, he had collaborated with CAA to turn the previously disorganized online troll army into a more professional anti-fan organization.
A professional anti-fan group was more efficient and targeted than a troll army.
With the development of the North American internet reaching this stage, Hollywood's use of internet troll armies since the 1990s with 'The Blair Witch Project' had become outdated. More professional internet publicity tools were essential for people like Murphy.
Murphy's interview video was uploaded to YouTube almost immediately, attracting considerable attention.
Within half an hour, related information was widely shared and reposted on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. With the additional push from Murphy's anti-fan organization, the connection between 'Chaos City,' Batman, and Warner Bros. quickly became a hot entertainment topic.
Murphy and Warner Bros. were at the center of this buzz, with the latter becoming the villain, especially in the eyes of DC fans.
A user named 'I Love Bruce Wayne' reposted Murphy's interview video and wrote on Twitter, "Seeing the thrilling, dark, and thought-provoking themes of 'Chaos City,' I can imagine how spectacular it would have been if this story was about Batman! Murphy Stanton could have revitalized Batman on the big screen, but it was ruined by those pigs at Warner's management!"
A Facebook post echoed many DC fans' sentiments, "Thinking about the brilliance of 'Chaos City' and the glory Clark Kent achieved through 'Man of Steel,' missing out on Murphy Stanton might be the greatest regret of Batman's life!"
Another comment added, "Poor Batman!"
Another user wrote, "After seeing Murphy's interview today, my heart is broken. I'm going to watch 'Chaos City' tonight to console myself."
These are just examples. Many DC fans who originally didn't pay attention to 'Chaos City' were now compelled to buy tickets and watch it in theaters after reading the news and posts. Given Murphy's past success with DC superhero films, they wouldn't be disappointed.
Although Chris Dane was significantly different from Bruce Wayne, the shared dark attributes resonated with DC fans.
"If Chris Dane were Bruce Wayne, the story would be even more epic!"
"Strongly urge Murphy to return and continue directing DC superhero movies, especially a reboot of the Batman franchise. He would definitely give us a dark epic!"
Similar voices flooded social media.
Warner Bros. and DC Comics executives became targets for reporters and paparazzi. Regardless of whether they had been involved in the talks with Murphy, they were all asked why they rejected Murphy Stanton's Batman film proposal.
Some reporters even confronted Warner Bros. CEO Bruce Rosenblum, asking him directly if he regretted rejecting Murphy Stanton after seeing the success of 'Chaos City.'
All this left Bruce Rosenblum exasperated, having to bear the consequences of his predecessor's decisions.
Amid this series of word-of-mouth marketing and publicity stunts, 'Thor,' the direct competitor of 'Chaos City' that weekend, received less and less attention, inevitably becoming marginalized. The actors in 'Thor,' aside from being criticized for poor acting and expressionless performances, received almost no positive feedback.
Even the most famous among them, Natalie Portman, was not exempt.
She never expected that after years of starring in a major commercial film, she would receive such negative feedback.
On Monday morning, Natalie Portman sat in the VIP dining room of the Four Seasons Hotel, sipping skim milk while reading the newspaper her assistant had just delivered. Seeing the publicity about 'Chaos City,' she felt a deep sense of frustration.
Murphy Stanton was utterly shameless!
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