Chapter 469

"My suggestion is to bring this scene forward, preferably to the first part. Listen to me first, will you, George? Very well, let's continue. The prequel trilogy is mainly about how Anakin Skywalker was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn, and how he fell into the dark side of the Force. Am I right? " In George Lucas's conference room, in front of the directors and scriptwriters of Star Wars Episode I, Adriaan spoke frankly with assurance. "As far as the overall concept is concerned, Anakin saw his mother murdered with his own eyes. After breaking the rules of the Jedi Knight to exact revenge, he felt fear. He was afraid that his wife, Padmé Amidala, would follow in his footsteps, so he wanted to find a way to solve the problem once and for all. Thus, he fell into the dark side of the Force, and under the temptation of Palpatine, he became Darth Vader. This is basically self-consistent. But the question is, can the transformation process be convincing to the audience? "

At this point, he glanced at the people in the conference room, picked up a pen, and wrote down the names of Anakin and his mother on the writing board. He then drew an arrow and wrote a few words. "First of all, we can be sure that Anakin has a strong Oedipus complex."

There were a few chuckles in the conference room. Lucas shrugged, but Adriaan was unmoved. "The best proof is that he fell in love with Amidala, who was at least ten years older than him. So, do you think the impact of his mother dying in the arms of an adult Anakin is big enough? Is it big enough for Palpatine to move him with a few words? "

He then wrote down the name of the Sith Monarch, and shot an arrow at Anakin. When he returned, he drew a question mark on it. The scriptwriters were deep in thought, and after a few minutes, one of them explained, "According to Mr. George's setting, Anakin is a very sensitive person, which is why he has such an outstanding grasp of the Force. You have to understand that even a very strong person would find it hard to adjust to the death of their only mother."

"Of course, I'm not questioning the rationality of this setting. I'm just asking how to show it." Adriaan smiled and gestured. "I'm not questioning George's directing ability, but if we compress the plot too much, then we will have to give up some things on screen. Sometimes, the audience will not understand the painstaking efforts of the creator. They will only think that a few words from Palpatine were enough to make Anakin betray them, which is very unreasonable."

"Then tell us your opinion, Eide." Lucas stopped the other scriptwriter from speaking and said to Adrian with a smile, "Don't hide it anymore."

"As you wish, sir." Adrian put his hands behind his back and deliberately bowed respectfully. His amusing look immediately attracted a few laughs.

"My suggestion is very simple. Make the whole process more straightforward and intense, and bring Mother's death forward to the first movie. The slave masters or others, such as those who were defeated in the race, wanted revenge for various reasons, so they attacked Anakin and his group. "My opinion is very simple. Make the entire process more direct and intense, and bring forward the death of his mother to the first movie. The slave masters or others, such as those who were defeated in the race, wanted revenge for various reasons, so they attacked Anakin and his party. In the second movie, Anakin would often dream of his mother's death. When he was tracking down the clone army, he unintentionally met those who attacked him, and in a fit of rage, he killed them all. This way, it will be more convincing when worrying about Amidala's situation and being tempted by Palpatine, "Adriaan said in a single breath.

Everyone present couldn't help but reveal a contemplative look again. Indeed, children were like soft mud. They were quite malleable, and the shadows left behind during their childhood would often accompany them for the rest of their lives. Dealing with it this way would be more logical, and at the same time, it would be more self-consistent.

"Also, we can arrange for Amidala to comfort the young Anakin. This way, it would be more logical for the two of them to be together in private," Adriaan added.

This was also a place where they could put their ideas into play. After the scriptwriters whispered to each other and discussed with the other people in charge, they all looked at George Lucas in unison. Obviously, they all thought that Adrian's argument was reasonable. However, it wasn't enough for them to think so. Lucas was the boss here.

"This suggestion is worth considering." After thinking for a few more minutes, Lucas made his decision. He then stood up with a hearty laugh and patted Adriaan's shoulder. "As expected of an ace scriptwriter. Asking for your help was the right choice."

"It's just that it's easier to see the problem from a bystander's point of view." Adriaan said humbly, "And finding the problem is the easiest thing to do. How to solve it is the most important thing. I'm just giving my suggestion. You'll have to do the actual work. If there's even the slightest mistake, it might not end well for you."

"Is that so? Then why don't you give your suggestion in other areas? There are many other stories in the prequel trilogy, "Lucas said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"Forget it. This is your work. You're the master of this world. You can set it however you want, as long as there's no conflict between the two. If you're not clear about these settings, or if you change the settings every two to three days, such as the lightsaber at the beginning instead of the current lightsaber, it'll be a joke. "Adriaan used the same tone to reject the suggestion.

"No true Star Wars fan would confuse the difference between a 'lightsaber' and a 'lightsaber'." Lucas looked at him with feigned displeasure.

"Of course, I'm just giving an example. I think it's enough that I've participated to this point." Adriaan still rejected his suggestion. The previous ones were all based on his memory. Although he had watched all six Star Wars movies in his previous life, and he had also touched upon some of the animations and games, there was still a gap between them.

"Alright, I won't force you." Lucas did not force him either. He waved his hand to dismiss the others. "Thank you for your suggestion. It's very important, and it gave us more time to consider."

"You're welcome, George." Adriaan shrugged. "But I have to remind you that there won't be a problem with the movie's box office. Star Wars fans have been waiting for too long, but the reputation might not be very good."

"I understand. The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment." Lucas seemed to be very carefree. "I just want to fulfill my own wish."

Fulfill his own wish? No one would believe this. Star Wars had already become a part of American culture. Lucas had already made enough money from it. Why wouldn't he want to make more? However, this did not stop Adriaan from flattering him. After the others had almost left, he pretended to think of something and asked, "By the way, what do you think of that girl?"

"Which one?" Lucas did not understand at first, but after a few seconds, he understood. "Natalie Portman? She's indeed an outstanding girl. I think she's very good. "

"Really?"

"Of course. I've watched all her movies. It's hard to imagine that she could play such a different role at her age. Where did you find her?"

Lucas said with a smile. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with Natalie.

"No, she came to me on her own. When we were filming This Killer Is Not Too Cold, she failed in her first audition. Then, she came to me to recommend herself." Adriaan explained briefly. "To be honest, it's fortunate that I gave her a second chance. Otherwise, she would have missed out on such an outstanding actress."

He paused for a moment before asking in a relaxed tone, "So, can I tell her the good news now?"

Lucas, who was very happy just now, frowned. Adriaan did not rush him. He just looked at him and hesitated for a long time before a smile returned to his face.

"No problem, she's the one," he said.

With his words, it was basically a success. Everyone knew how valuable the "Star Wars" brand was. As long as one could play an important role in it, it would be hard not to be popular. Think about Harrison Ford. And just before he accompanied Natalie to the audition yesterday, Adriaan met an old acquaintance here.

They were not acquaintances. They could only say that they knew each other. He had hurt her feelings back then, but as long as a woman left an impression on him, he would not forget her. So, he greeted her early.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Eide." Sophia Coppola shook his hand with a faint smile.

"I recommended an actor to George and was invited by him to consult the script." Adriaan did not hide it. A strange look flashed across Sophia's face.

"What about you?" he asked immediately. "Are you also here for the audition?"

"Yes." Sophia did not deny it. "But it's not an important role. She's just a maid beside the female lead. I just want to … try again."

Adriaan did not say anything. He looked at her for a long time and sighed. He smiled politely and was about to leave. This action immediately angered Sophia. She immediately asked in a loud voice, "What, am I that bad, Mr. Adriaan?"

Fortunately, there was no one in the corridor at that time. Otherwise, who knew how much attention it would attract.

"I still have the same opinion as before." Adriaan turned his head and smiled good-naturedly. "You'll see the world in a different direction. Sophie, I've never been wrong about people. Don't forget, you're old Frank's daughter."

After saying that, he bowed like a gentleman and left. Sophia stood in the same place for a long time.

Frankly speaking, if Sophia was competing for the female lead role, the chances of her winning were quite high. Although she was voted the worst female lead by the Razzies, Francis Coppola and Lucas were still very close. But even so, Adriaan was still confident. Not to mention the fact that she had a good relationship with the Hollywood Jewish group because of Schindler's List, Natalie herself also had an advantage.

After all, she was born in Salem and immigrated to the United States when she was about two years old and lived in New York. Although the United States did not legally stipulate that people could have dual citizenship, it did not stipulate that they could not have dual citizenship either. So, she was also considered an Israeli. What's more, she had a legendary grandmother who passed intelligence for the Allies during World War II. The surname Portman, which was only used in the entertainment industry, came from her.

In addition, she was smart and precocious. Her acting skills were not bad, and she was very good at judging the situation. The result would not exceed Adriaan's expectations.

What a lovely girl. Outside a lounge, Adriaan looked inside through the crack in the door. Natalie was sitting quietly on the sofa, reading a book, while her mother, Shelley, was sitting on the other side, talking to her manager in a low voice. She rested her chin on one hand and had a faint smile on her face, making her look especially peaceful and beautiful.

The reason why Adriaan rejected Kirsten's proposal that day was because Natalie was coming to Los Angeles to participate in the "Star Wars" audition. However, with his own means, not only did he make the little vixen forget about it, but he also picked her daisy. The little vixen's body recovered very quickly. On the third day after the birthday party, she could run around as if nothing had happened, although she cried for a long time. That day was also the same. At first, she screamed in pain, but after getting used to it, she quickly began to cooperate. After it was over, she was even a little reluctant.

Speaking of which, it was quite interesting. Although Natalie was the first to get into bed among the Lolitas, Kirsten was the first to pick the little daisy. This was quite fair. Of course, it had to do with Natalie being relatively conservative. She was not even willing to change positions, let alone touch. However, her shy look was very cute and seductive.

After realizing that his thoughts were too scattered, Adriaan immediately calmed himself down. After tidying up his clothes, he knocked on the door a few times and walked in.

"Eide?" Natalie put down the book in her hand and looked at him without blinking.

However, after greeting her mother and manager, Adriaan gave her an apologetic smile. "Do you want to know the result?"

"No need." The girl bit her lip. "I think I already know the result."

"Ha, so obvious? It looks like I should walk in with a sullen face. "Adriaan said jokingly.

"It's useless. I can still see it." Natalie puffed out her chest and snorted softly. However, it seemed that there was something on her mind.

"What's wrong, Nada?" Adriaan immediately asked.

"What do you mean what's wrong?" Natalie asked in return.

"Really?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows and looked at her mother. "Sheila, if you don't mind, can you give us a few minutes?"

"Of course, no problem." Sheila nodded. However, she curiously looked at Adriaan and then at her daughter.

After they closed the door to the lounge, Natalie glared at Adriaan. "You can be bolder."

"I'm just concerned about you." Adriaan shrugged and then sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just …" The girl sighed. "I didn't expect the movie you were talking about to be the prequel to Star Wars!"

Speaking of this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "God, I haven't even watched the original trilogy. After receiving your call, I had no choice but to rent a videotape and work overtime to finish watching it. I also had to sort out some information … I was really busy these past few days. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have been so flustered!"

"I said, this is a trade secret …" Before Adriaan could finish, he was met with Natalie's contemptuous gaze.

"Really?" The girl crossed her arms and looked at him with her head tilted. She then asked in a lazy tone.

"… Well, I want to give you a surprise." Faced with this smart girl, Adriaan had to tell the truth. "Of course, if you want, we can use another word: take credit."

Seeing his honest look, Natalie suddenly giggled. She looked very cute when she was overjoyed. Then, she suddenly leaned in front of him and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, there were people who thought I was being a little bold just now," Adrian said in a half-joking tone.

"You are you, I am me. What you can't do, I can do. I can criticize you, but you can't criticize me," the girl said proudly.

"This is a double standard …"

"A double standard!"

"Okay, okay." Adriaan could only raise his hands in surrender. He then patted the girl's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Nada. You really don't have experience in such a big production, but I believe that this is definitely not a big problem for you. George thinks that your audition is very good, and I also think that everyone will welcome you as Queen Amidala! Anyway, don't worry. "

Natalie tilted her head again and looked at Adriaan for a while. Then, she sighed and said, "You're always so easy to read other people's minds."

"It's not that easy. I only made a judgment because I noticed your emotional changes and talked to you for so long." Adriaan laughed. "Of course, more importantly, I know you."

"You're really proud of yourself, Eide." Natalie made a face at him and then changed the topic. "So, it's settled? Can mom and I go now? "

"Really?" Adriaan replied noncommittally.

"Of course." The girl smiled slyly. "No one asked me to stay."

"I knew you would say that." Adriaan pinched her little nose. "As long as you can get your mom to agree, I promise to bring you around Los Angeles if you go out alone."

"That's settled then!" Natalie agreed without hesitation. She seemed to have a card up her sleeve.

She really did what she said. The next day, she called Adriaan and asked him to pick her up at the hotel where she was staying. She even got into the car in front of her mother. Later, he found out that Natalie used the excuse that Adriaan was going to Pixar to take care of daily affairs. She thought that it was a rare opportunity and wanted to tag along. Anyway, with Adriaan by her side, nothing would happen. So, of course, she agreed.

"You're not bad when it comes to lying to people." Adrian, who was hugging the girl tightly, panted softly as he joked while pounding against her.

"I didn't … I just … didn't say everything …" Natalie, who was wrapped around him like an octopus, moaned.

On the balcony of Adriaan's mansion, the two were intimately intertwined under the sun.