Roman Sionis' powerful and unexpected strike killed Sal Maroni. Inside the abandoned warehouse, there was a brief silence.
Maroni's subordinates all drew their guns, but Roman Sionis was faster, pulling out two dark, silenced pistols and firing rapidly.
Every shot found its mark.
After a series of characteristic 'swish' sounds from the silenced pistols, most of the henchmen who hadn't had time to react were already down, and the rest dared not make any further moves.
The two figures in the darkness remained motionless.
After a final scan with his gun, Roman Sionis nodded in satisfaction and said, "From now on, I am your boss".
With that, he kicked Sal Maroni's corpse aside, then sat down in a chair and began to look through the documents on the table.
One of the henchmen in the warehouse saw Roman Sionis with his back to them, exchanged a look with a companion, and both simultaneously drew their guns, attempting a sneak attack.
As soon as they moved, Roman Sionis picked up the silenced pistol beside him and fired two shots backward.
Amidst the sound of bodies hitting the ground, Roman Sionis continued to look through the documents in front of him as if nothing had happened, saying, "Deadshot, Killer Croc, good, very good".
He finished speaking, looked up, and finally faced the two figures who had remained calm throughout: "So, are you willing to work for me?"
The camera finally focused on the two figures, slowly zooming in.
The audience could now clearly see their appearance. One of them wore a glowing red bionic eye, while the other, a hunched figure in a hoodie, gradually straightened up, revealing a massive, over two-meter-tall physique.
As he grinned in response, he revealed a fearsome, crocodile-like face and sharp teeth.
Although the two did not speak, Roman Sionis got the answer he wanted, and so he nodded again, saying, "Very well".
With that, he turned another page of the documents in front of him. The camera panned to the words 'Batman' on the page, and Sionis said, "Then, let's start with this Bat shall we".
As the plot reached this point, in front of the big screen, Shirley Lansing once again raised her wrist to check her watch.
7:30 PM.
Indeed.
Simon Westeros had perfectly and precisely used these thirty minutes to fully unfold the film's plot.
Typically, a movie only needs one or two classic scenes to be memorable to audiences and greatly contribute to its box office success.
For example, Sally's restaurant scene in 'When Harry Met Sally', Jones killing the swordsman in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', or the classic swing dance in 'Pulp Fiction', and so on.
This 'Batman Begins' film, in just these thirty minutes, with its stunning opening prologue, Catwoman's impactful kick, and Black Mask's terrifying pencil, all left a profoundly deep impression on the audience.
Given Simon Westeros's filmmaking prowess demonstrated in recent years, Shirley Lansing did not believe that the subsequent plot would be any less impressive than this opening thirty minutes.
Rumours about Simon Westeros's new film and its unusual aspects had been circulating in the industry for a long time.
Shirley Lansing had initially thought they might be exaggerated, but now, all her doubts were completely gone.
Although Simon Westeros had been instrumental in her becoming the CEO of MGM-United Artists, Shirley Lansing had not initially intended to be completely dependent on Daenerys Entertainment; no one wants to be a subordinate.
Now, she felt that in the future of Hollywood, clinging tightly to Simon Westeros was the wisest course of action.
Thinking this, Shirley Lansing couldn't help but look towards a certain spot in the front row, quickly finding Westeros's figure.
He seemed to say something to his girlfriend beside him, then stood up and quietly left the hall, heading backstage.
It seemed like a good opportunity to communicate with him.
However, after a moment of hesitation, Shirley Lansing did not get up, but instead refocused her attention on the big screen.
The film currently playing had given her a lot of inspiration in just the first thirty minutes, and she was sure there would be more surprises to come.
Shirley Lansing not taking action didn't mean others wouldn't.
Among the over 1200 people in the screening room, there were certainly many who came for Simon Westeros, the Hollywood mogul and super-rich.
Backstage at the Shrine Auditorium, Simon had just returned to the lounge after using the restroom when he saw a tall woman casually walking in from the hall entrance.
"Hi, Nicole, going over there?"
Nicole Kidman heard Simon's initiative greeting, pointing towards the restroom behind him, and subconsciously nodded: "Uh, yes".
She hesitated, seeing that the man didn't seem to be returning to the hall immediately, but rather walking towards a sofa in the corner of the lounge, so she didn't rush to strike up a conversation.
She pretended to touch up her makeup in the restroom and returned, but another woman had already appeared beside Simon.
Judging by her skin tone, she appeared to be a Latina woman, significantly more curvaceous than Nicole.
Moreover, despite there being other sofas nearby, the woman was sitting closely on the armrest of the single sofa where the man was, with one arm draped over his shoulder.
Unsure whether to interrupt, Nicole paused, then walked over.
Simon saw her approach and introduced, "Nicole, this is Sabina, she's from Italy. Sabina, this is Nicole".
Sabina Ferilli stood up, extended her hand to Nicole, and with a distinctly non-standard Italian accent in her English, said, "Hello, Miss Kidman, I really enjoyed your performance in 'Pulp Fiction'".
"Thank you".
Nicole shook her hand but couldn't recall who she was.
She wanted to compliment her English, but it seemed a bit out of place.
Sabina Ferilli, however, didn't let the awkward silence linger.
After greeting Nicole, she turned back to the man, leaned in, and whispered in Italian, "I've been staying at Valeria's apartment these days, Simon. You can call me anytime".
Sabina Ferilli and Valeria Golino are both Italian, and they met at the Gucci fashion show during the last Milan Fashion Week, quickly becoming good friends.
Sabina had just explained that she came specifically to support Valeria Golino and had already signed with WMA, hoping to try her luck in Hollywood.
Simon looked at the endless allure within the fiery woman's dress as she leaned towards him and said, "Unfortunately, Sabina, I'm going to Australia tomorrow".
Sabina Ferilli was a little disappointed but didn't press further.
She said goodbye, nodded to Nicole, who was still standing nearby, and then walked towards the main hall.
There were many other people backstage, and Nicole wasn't as uninhibited as Sabina Ferilli.
Seeing her leave, she sat down on the sofa next to Simon.
Simon instructed a backstage staff member to bring two bottles of mineral water, then looked at Nicole and asked, "How do you feel about this movie?"
Nicole said, "That pencil scene was so terrifying, I don't think I'll ever dare to touch a pencil again".
Simon chuckled and said, "Actually, the original scene was even scarier, there would have been blood. We had to remove the blood to avoid rating issues".
'Batman Begins' ultimately received a PG-13 rating.
Although Simon had altered the bleeding details, during the film's rating process, some reviewers still deemed the scene too violent, potentially leaving psychological trauma on audiences.
However, due to the powerful influence of Daenerys Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures, the version Simon submitted for review received a PG-13 rating without any cuts.
As for a PG rating, Simon had never considered it from the outset.
Nicole's expression seemed very interested as she leaned in slightly to listen to Simon talk about these behind-the-scenes tidbits.
She nodded and then asked, "Why aren't you going back to the hall? Are you worried about the film's box office?"
Simon gestured towards the hall where the sound of the film was coming from and said, "I can already recite the entire movie from memory, so whether I watch it or not doesn't matter. As for the box office, I'm confident".
He had been busy for over half a year, with even longer preparation time, and every shot in the film was practically etched into Simon's mind.
Regarding the box office, putting aside the minor film and television endeavours of the 1960s, as the first proper big-budget live-action film in half a century for 'Batman', which had already become an American cultural icon, Simon was never worried about its commercial performance from the start.
As a childhood memory for countless Americans, as long as this film wasn't too terrible, the only question would be how much it would earn.
Of course, if the film didn't satisfy the audience, then trying to make it into a series would only end up like Tim Burton's Batman in the original timeline: after selling nostalgia, each subsequent film would perform worse than the last, eventually becoming unsustainable.
Therefore, Simon was not worried about the commercial performance of this first 'Batman' film.
He was more concerned with how to continue the DC superhero IP he held, building it into a complete and lasting DC cinematic universe series.
Speaking of which, Terry Semel had already confirmed after his first viewing of the rough cut that Warner Bros. Pictures would fully honour their investment in the sequels.
During this time, Warner had been inquiring whether Simon would personally direct the sequels.
Simon hadn't given Warner a final answer, but he had no intention of continuing to direct.
He preferred to be a character like Marvel's Kevin Feige in the original timeline, controlling the overall picture without being hands-on.
Moreover, if the DC cinematic universe fully expanded, he wouldn't have enough time to be hands-on with everything.
A staff member brought two bottles of water.
Nicole took one, handed a bottle to Simon, and opened hers, taking a small sip.
She capped it and placed it back on the round table in front of her.
After a moment of hesitation, she looked at the man with a hint of resentment and said, "I, you, actually, I could have tried for the Catwoman role too".
Just from that incredibly cool kick on the big screen, Nicole was certain that Valeria Golino's portrayal of Catwoman would be deeply ingrained in people's minds.
If she had gotten that role back then, she would now have a second iconic screen image besides Mia.
Simon glanced at Nicole and shook his head with a smile: "You're not suitable for this role".
In fact, Simon had considered Nicole during the casting process.
However, in his memory, Nicole never seemed to have acted in action scenes, even turning down the female lead role in 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'.
Moreover, Simon hoped the Catwoman character would play a role similar to Black Widow in the original Marvel Cinematic Universe within his envisioned DC film universe.
Therefore, during the casting process, he inevitably referenced Scarlett Johansson.
In this regard, Valeria Golino and Scarlett Johansson shared quite a few similarities: both were excellent actresses, and as an Italian, Valeria Golino was not only attractive but also had a figure similar to Scarlett Johansson's curvaceous physique.
Furthermore, compared to Nicole, who is 1.8 meters tall, Valeria Golino's height was similar to Scarlett Johansson's, which made it easier to find a suitable body double for action scenes.
Finally, Valeria Golino had no background in Hollywood, so she was obedient, hardworking, and could endure high-intensity action training and filming.
In contrast, Nicole was still a pampered young lady from the Kidman family, accustomed to a life of privilege since childhood, making it difficult for her to film action movies.
As for looks, Nicole was indeed superior.
However, from Simon's current position, when casting for 'Batman Begins', appearance was not the primary factor; suitability was more important.
In the original timeline, the looks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's female leads were often a target of complaints from many fans, especially when compared to DC's array of high-end beauties with long legs.
However, commercially, Marvel, without the 'vases' or 'long legs', managed to completely crush DC.
Simon, of course, would not entirely mimic Marvel in his choice of female leads, nor would he make decisions like in 'Thor: Ragnarok', where a Valkyrie character, originally intended to be a blonde, fair-skinned woman with long legs, was changed to another woman for political correctness.
However, he would also absolutely not allow any obviously out-of-place 'vases' to appear in the cinematic universe he was building, simply for the sake of appearance.
Nicole only sulked a little.
Hearing Simon say she wasn't suitable, she couldn't possibly know the detailed reasons behind it.
She only thought that some of her earlier unauthorized small actions had annoyed the young man in front of her.
After thinking for a moment, Nicole said, "Simon, isn't Daenerys also planning to film 'Wonder Woman'? Maybe I could try for that".
Simon looked at Nicole again and smiled, "You don't mean to say you don't know the role of Wonder Woman has already been cast, do you?"
"I know a little, that, Famke Janssen", Nicole nodded, but she wasn't entirely convinced: "Her fame isn't as big as mine".
Simon gestured towards the hall where the movie was playing and said, "Adam and Valeria's fame isn't as big as yours either, but after 'Batman Begins' is released, that might not be the case".
Nicole recalled their performances on the big screen just now and didn't doubt that point.
Thus, thinking of Famke Janssen, Nicole felt an even stronger sense of threat.
That woman, like her, was very tall and also very beautiful.
If she became even more popular than Nicole in the future, she would surely snatch away many resources that should have belonged to Nicole.
Hollywood already had limited roles for tall actresses, and what's more, she would also have Simon Westeros' support.
Thinking of all this, Nicole's expression became resentful again, with a kind of pitiful charm that made men's hearts flutter.
She said, "Simon, please let me try for the Wonder Woman role, okay? I promise I'll be very obedient to you from now on".