"And the winner of the 87th Academy Award for Best Director is..."
In the Dolby Theatre, countless eyes were on Daniel Day-Lewis standing on stage. The acclaimed actor announced the eagerly awaited winner, "Murphy Stanton, for 'Spotlight'!"
Applause erupted instantly, and the guests in the front row stood up, turning their gaze toward the 'Spotlight' team. After a heartfelt embrace with Gal Gadot, Murphy walked up to the stage amidst the envious stares of everyone present.
This was a moment for the 'Spotlight' team, but more importantly, it was Murphy's moment!
A female voiceover narrated, "This is Murphy Stanton's second consecutive win for Best Director at the Oscars and his third time winning the Best Director award!"
With this announcement, the applause grew even more fervent!
Among the current Hollywood directors still making films, Murphy had won the Best Director award the most times, making him second only to John Ford (who won the Oscar for Best Director four times) in the entire history of the Academy Awards. But John Ford's wins were all during the unique period of World War II in the 1940s, which forged this particular history in just a few years.
Everyone in the Dolby Theatre knew how challenging it was for Murphy to win three Oscars for Best Director by the age of thirty-five.
However, once it happened, it seemed entirely fitting.
Many people believed that given Murphy's films and the current era, it would have been strange if he hadn't won.
In the audience, Gal Gadot clapped enthusiastically, genuinely happy for the man she loved. This was her fiancé's glory, and it was also hers!
Soon, they would be walking down the aisle together into marriage!
"We will walk this path together forever..." she thought, watching Murphy accept the Best Director statuette. "Until the end of our lives!"
Gal Gadot was sure of this. For over a decade, she had known Murphy as well as he knew her.
Others only saw Murphy's glamorous side but had no idea how much he had sacrificed, almost to the point of losing his life!
Even now, thinking about what happened a couple of months ago made Gal Gadot's hands tremble with fear, but she couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
Murphy's disappearance had shocked the entire nation within a few hours. She had mobilized every possible connection and force, throwing vast sums of money into the search, and within two days, they had found the place where Murphy was being held.
Remembering that scene always made her mouth twitch...
Dozens of SWAT officers and federal agents stormed the abandoned factory to find an unbelievable sight.
Murphy and his female captor sat on the floor, seriously discussing how to destroy America and incite societal chaos. Anyone who saw it would have thought they were witnessing a meeting of two masterminds...
It took little effort for the police and the FBI to rescue Murphy. What terrified Gal Gadot was that the woman was not only a fan of Murphy but also the real perpetrator of the Hollywood Chinese Theatre shooting and the park murders. Her initial plan in kidnapping Murphy was to torture him to death using the brutal methods from 'Saw.'
As for how Murphy managed to sway her, Gal Gadot could never comprehend. She concluded that a normal person could never understand the mind of a lunatic.
The problem was, why did Murphy seem to understand?
Gal Gadot had seriously pondered this and came to a terrifying conclusion...
Then she forced herself to stop thinking about it. Murphy was just a bit special; otherwise, how could he achieve such success?
Later, when she tentatively asked Murphy what he was thinking at that time, his answer made her decide never to bring it up again.
"I was very serious when talking to Daisy. I discussed in great detail how to destroy America," Murphy had said. "If given the chance, I would love to see America fall apart and even be willing to destroy this sinful nation myself!"
Since then, Gal Gadot stopped mentioning it, although sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if Murphy had been infected by the psychopath.
Fortunately, Murphy was perfectly normal and didn't do anything crazy. As the story gradually came to light, he even won widespread media praise for his composure, intelligence, and calmness.
These accolades also contributed to his standing on the Oscar stage tonight.
"Thank you! At this moment, I just want to say thank you!"
On stage, Murphy stood before the microphone and said loudly, "Thank you to all the friends who have supported me up to now! Your support is my driving force! We have gone through extraordinary times together, facing ups and downs, challenges, and disappointments, but we persevered! Now, I just want to say, thank you for being with me! You are the most remarkable!"
"Thank you, everyone!" Murphy looked into the distance, as if seeing something invisible, then bowed deeply. "Thank you for your support!"
Thunderous applause erupted again as everyone turned toward the 'Spotlight' team, seemingly moved by the deep friendship among the Stanton crew.
Gal Gadot felt a bit puzzled. She sensed that Murphy wasn't thanking her or their close friends...
Who was he thanking? She couldn't figure it out.
Murphy finished his acceptance speech and stepped aside as Steven Spielberg took the stage to announce the Best Picture winner. There was no surprise when 'Spotlight' won the final award of the night.
Including the earlier wins for Best Cinematography and Best Editing, 'Spotlight' took home four Oscars at the 87th Academy Awards.
This aligned with the expectations of most outsiders.
Murphy knew that after winning the Best Director award consecutively, 'Spotlight' couldn't sweep the Oscars as his previous film had.
After the ceremony, the Oscars faced a new wave of criticism. Increasingly, people found the Oscars becoming more predictable and less exciting.
That year, the Oscars faced a peak of criticism from critics and seasoned moviegoers. They highlighted how directors favored "monks" over "rogues," pointing out how David Fincher, despite consistent acclaim, never won the top prize, while Richard Linklater, from the independent film scene, managed to break through with his unique film-making. They argued that actors needed to sacrifice their image for art, citing Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Stephen Hawking and Julianne Moore's role as an Alzheimer's patient...
Some even compiled the "Five Unwritten Rules and Seven Principles of the Oscars" to show how predictable the judges' tastes had become, with the New York Times chiming in: "Even country clubs are more diverse than the Oscars."
However, these critiques were no longer Murphy's concern. He had achieved his goal.
The night the Oscars ended, Murphy and Gal Gadot skipped the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and headed to Los Angeles International Airport to board the "Gadot" for Hawaii.
They planned to stay on Lanai Island for half a day before heading to Japan.
A professional company was preparing for Murphy and Gal Gadot's wedding on the island. Although Grace was overseeing the arrangements, they still needed to check on things.
The private island, owned by Larry Ellison, was borrowed from David Ellison to minimize media intrusion.
After a brief inspection on the island, Murphy and Gal Gadot flew to Tokyo. Their negotiations with Sony Entertainment and Sony Group had concluded, and only the final contract signing remained.
Due to Sony Group's insistence, the contract signing was set in Tokyo. Murphy, representing Stanton Studios, officially signed the agreement to acquire Columbia Pictures in its entirety. From then on, Sony Columbia Pictures would be renamed Stanton Columbia Pictures.
While the acquisition was primarily financed through loans, Stanton Studios secured a 51% stake in Stanton Columbia Pictures.
Acquiring Columbia Pictures also marked Murphy's formal split from 20th Century Fox. Though they would still collaborate occasionally, they were now competitors.
Thus, Murphy appointed Carla Faith as the first CEO of Stanton Columbia Pictures.
Upon returning to North America, Murphy, with Robert Downey Jr.'s help, finalized negotiations with Marvel Studios. Spider-Man would rejoin the Avengers, making a guest appearance in 'Captain America: Civil War' and participating in 'Infinity War'...
Additionally, Iron Man would assist in the new Spider-Man film!
Stanton Columbia Pictures was steadily being brought back on track by Murphy...
...
Two years passed in a flash. On a sunny morning, in a room at the California Medical Center, Murphy held a swaddled baby in his arms, helping Gal Gadot to the door.
Murphy suddenly stopped, carefully handing the baby to Gal Gadot. He turned to the many friends waiting at the door and said, "Wait a minute, I need to send a tweet."
He smiled at his wife, took out his phone, and sent a photo of himself, Gadot, and the baby.
He added a caption: "Helen, my princess, is here. From today, we are a family of three. Thank you for all the miracles in my life..."
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