Chapter 151: The Farce

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: The Farce

Irene saw this news in the conference room of Echo Pictures.

Shelly handed the newspaper to her, shaking his head with a smile. "Take a look, Michael Bay has completely given up on himself."

Irene could almost imagine Michael Bay’s self-righteous look. "He really let his previous success go to his head."

"The popularity of Bad Boys let him find the knack for commercial films. The box office hits of The Rock and Armageddon straight up made him feel like he could define ’high art.’ Little does he know, the success of those works was precisely because he grasped the audience’s pleasure points, rather than talking to himself in isolation from the audience."

Shelly chimed in, "Isn’t that the truth? He forgot that the audience is the bread and butter of the box office. Publicly criticizing the audience now—isn’t that just cutting off his own retreat?"

Michael Bay’s remarks made Disney’s situation even worse.

Robert Iger hadn’t expected to encounter such trouble early in his tenure. He called an emergency meeting at the company, looking at the public opinion report submitted by the PR team with a livid expression.

"Fan boycott sentiment is getting stronger and stronger. Opening day pre-sales have already dropped by 30%. If this continues, the box office for Pearl Harbor will completely collapse."

"We must conduct crisis management immediately," Disney’s PR Director said.

"First, we need to distance ourselves from Michael Bay and state clearly that his remarks do not represent Disney’s position.

Second, we need to increase promotional efforts, highlighting the film’s war scenes and historical significance to try and regain the audience’s goodwill."

But Robert shook his head, his tone firm. "Crisis management only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Michael Bay’s arrogance has already made it impossible for the film’s word-of-mouth to ferment. Investing more promotional resources now is just throwing money down the drain."

He paused and made an important decision. "Immediately withdraw some of the promotional resources from Pearl Harbor. Since Pearl Harbor is beyond saving, we can only cut our losses. What other movies do we have coming out next?"

"The closest one is Shrek, and there’s The Princess Diaries in August."

"Ramp up the promotion for Shrek to divert everyone’s attention. Just let Pearl Harbor play quietly in theaters!"

This decision soon reached Michael Bay’s ears. When he learned that resources were being pulled from his project, he flew into a rage, smashing quite a few things in his studio and even publicly stating,

"Disney doesn’t understand art. They only know how to compromise with the market."

But this time, the media no longer bought into his act.

Most media interpreted his remarks as the "complaints of a sore loser." Many industry insiders also spoke out, accusing him of "lacking professional quality" and "deviating from a creator’s original intention."

Gold-medal Hollywood film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his column:

"A true artist knows how to respect the audience’s aesthetics, while an arrogant creator will eventually be abandoned by the market. Michael Bay’s problem is not that the audience doesn’t know how to appreciate art, but that he has long since detached himself from the audience."

Irene didn’t pay much attention to Michael Bay’s subsequent farce. Jerry Bruckheimer sent her a message informing her that Disney’s investment had been transferred to a third-party escrow account and that they had agreed to all her casting suggestions. Johnny Depp’s audition was scheduled for next week, and Disney no longer had any misgivings.

"We must firmly remember the lesson of Michael Bay," Jerry said over the phone.

"Don’t let momentary success go to your head, and never underestimate the audience’s judgment. For the creation of Pirates of the Caribbean, we must hold the line of being ’audience-centered.’"

Irene’s tone was firm.

"I understand. I never intended to film some ’high art.’ I just want to make an adventure film that the audience finds fun and engaging.

Jack Sparrow’s madness and romance, the fantasy and excitement of the pirate world—these are what the audience wants to see, and they are the core I want to focus on."

After hanging up, she continued drawing sketches of Captain Jack. Some wore towering tricorne hats, others wore tattered capes, and all had a hint of rebellious charm in their eyes.

She picked up a pencil and added a few strokes to the latest sketch: she hung a string of messy accessories from the Captain’s waist—a compass, an old key, and a worn gold coin—and then drew a crooked embroidery on the collar. It looked like a casual addition, yet it perfectly fit the character’s uninhibited temperament.

A knock sounded at the door, and costume designer Penny Rose pushed her way in.

Penny held a thick stack of fabric samples and styling reference photos. "Irene, here are the initial drafts for the pirate costumes you wanted. We’ve combined the actual clothing characteristics of 18th-century Caribbean pirates with some fantasy-style modifications."

Irene took the samples and flipped through them carefully. "While the pirates’ outfits are largely similar, try to design some memorable points. Don’t just phone it in. You can try using some oceanic elements, like fishing nets or shells, as accessories."

Then she handed over the sketches she had drawn. "Captain Jack’s clothing should be more exaggerated. He should be covered in ’trophies’—for instance, copper badges salvaged from shipwrecks, bracelets wrapped in seaweed, and maybe even a colorful feather tucked into his hat to echo his eccentric temperament."

Penny Rose took the sketches. Seeing the pirate with smoky eye makeup before her, vivid images immediately flooded her mind. "Understood. I’ll go and adjust them. By the way, Director, have you found a makeup artist yet?"

Irene shook her head.

"Perhaps I can recommend someone.

Ve Neill. She’s been nominated for an Oscar multiple times and was previously responsible for the makeup in Edward Scissorhands and Interview with the Vampire. She’s very skilled at the special effects makeup you need."

"Alright, thank you very much for the recommendation. I’ll send her an invitation shortly."

After Penny Rose left the office, Irene left the task of inviting Ve Neill to Vera.

Then, a message popped up on her phone. It was from Johnny Depp: "I’ve been studying Captain Jack’s personality and plan to add some micro-expressions during the audition, like frequent blinking when talking or biting my nails while thinking. What do you think?"

Irene replied with a smile: "Absolutely! You can even be more exaggerated—for example, swaying from side to side when walking, as if you’re stepping on cotton. Carry his ’eccentricity’ through to the end."

"But Johnny, although I have high hopes for you, I have to remind you in advance that your competition is not small. Hugh Jackman, Jim Carrey, Michael Keaton, and Robert De Niro are all on the audition list. Disney has repeatedly reminded me of your conduct issues—alcoholism, being late—I’ve vouched for you on all of those."