Attached to the four synopses Joseph was reviewing were condensed scripts containing brief early drafts of the story. Of course, the original material he was looking at had been provided by the Hollywood giant in film production and distribution, Universal Movies. At most, they had only been concepts or ideas he, as the executive producer hired by that studio, had passed along in advance to several screenwriters.
This was before the recent team meeting.
Those concepts and ideas were already known to Megan Stone, the creative director. She had been shown them when she first joined the team at Universal Movies. The concept, based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, dealt with dissociative identity disorder, in other words, multiple personalities. But concepts and ideas like that were nothing until they passed through a writer's hands.
Only after passing through writers and screenwriters could they truly come to life.
And now, the synopses Joseph held in his hands were the result of that process. It had taken quite a long time for the synopses and condensed scripts to emerge, but they had finally been completed. What was interesting was this.
'Who would've thought they'd all turn out this different?'
The content and genres of the synopses and condensed scripts, all born from the same concept and idea, were completely different from one another. It felt as though four entirely different film scripts were spread out before him. Naturally, that was the result of giving different work to four different screenwriters, but the giant Joseph found himself smiling again at the strange feeling of it all.
'The world of creation really is mysterious.'
Hollywood's script development system looks quite different from Korea's. Of course, there are cases in Hollywood where the director writes the script personally, but those are very rare. Only the most famous directors do that. Normally, it works the way Joseph was doing it now: giving only the idea to Hollywood writers and having them build the script from there.
Naturally, there was never just one writer.
Also, the writers commissioned to work on the script were absolutely forbidden from knowing one another or contacting each other. In this way, several Hollywood writers each created different synopses from a single concept and idea. Once completed, those synopses were delivered to executive producers like Joseph, and the production company and producers would then choose one final direction from among them.
Only after that selection process was complete would the full scriptwriting begin in earnest.
In other words, Joseph was currently standing at the crucial moment of choosing the script that would eventually be made into a Hollywood film. Of course, the production company had some degree of involvement, but most of the authority rested with the producer. It would not have been an exaggeration to say that this single choice could determine the success or failure of the film.
If it failed, everyone involved would be in trouble.
That included Joseph, CD Megan, and the famous core Hollywood staff Joseph had already gathered in advance for the first meeting. An enormous amount of money could disappear without leaving a trace.
Flap.
That was why Joseph, the giant well over 190 centimeters tall, began reading through the synopses he had already seen once again. No, he would probably have to read them countless more times. From the first synopsis to the second, the third, and finally the fourth. Then he returned to the first synopsis and began all over again.
Flip, flip.
Joseph read quickly, since he had gone through the synopses and scripts so many times already, but time passed just as quickly.
At last—
Thud.
Joseph tossed the synopsis he had been reading onto the desk, crossed his long legs, and muttered,
"Thriller, noir, crime action, comedy. It makes it harder since the genres are all different, but well, I suppose that's what makes this job interesting."
A smile spread across his lips.
"How grateful I'd be if someone knew the future of my projects and chose for me instead."
Whenever he found himself in situations like this, Joseph would indulge in that kind of daydream. Even though no such person actually existed, Joseph, as an executive producer, always kept that wish tucked away in the back of his mind.
'No one in the world could have a gift that godlike.'
Right then.
"No. There is someone close."
A Korean actor surfaced in giant Joseph's mind. Kang Woojin. There was not a single project in his filmography marked with the word failure. Worse, his string of success was still continuing. In Korea and Japan, he had even been nicknamed the Midas hand.
"Of course, it's thanks to his sharp instincts and exceptional ability to choose projects, but at that level, it's almost comparable to a divine gift."
After lingering for a moment on thoughts of Woojin, Joseph muttered to himself,
"If time allows, it wouldn't be a bad idea to casually show him these synopses."
He uncrossed and recrossed his legs in the other direction, gently pushed the synopses aside, and pulled out another set of files. Those files contained lists of numerous Hollywood directors, along with Bangkok business trip schedules and related personnel information. Of course, the Bangkok trip was connected to Kang Woojin and had been planned around the filming location scouting for the film Beneficial Evil.
"Once the synopsis is finalized, we can choose the director. Let's start with the easy part first."
He opened the Bangkok-related files he had organized in advance. Discussions with Woojin's side and the Beneficial Evil team had already been wrapped up. Joseph began reviewing the people who would be traveling with him. First, there was Joseph himself, creative director Megan Stone, the stunt team that had already been secured, and a few executives from Universal Movies, the production and distribution company.
It looked like quite a large group would be moving together.
In truth, moving that many people all at once was not easy. Joseph and Megan were completely fixated on Woojin, so they were not the problem, but persuading the rest of the team had not been simple. Even so, Joseph had succeeded in getting everyone's agreement by using the excuse that this trip would serve multiple purposes.
"We'll go to Bangkok, then head straight to France. It's been a long time since I've had a schedule this packed."
Joseph's team planned to attend the Cannes Film Festival after Bangkok.
Meanwhile.
After finishing a fairly long meeting with Miley Kara, Song Manwoo, Kim Sohyang, and Choi Nana, they boarded a flight back to Korea that very night.
They arrived in Korea on the 12th.
PD Song Manwoo had always been busy without a moment to spare, but the instant he returned to Korea, he had to move nonstop again.
"Everyone worked hard. Get some good rest, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, PD-nim. But are you going straight to the office?"
"I have to. The script reading is tomorrow."
"Ah, you really need some rest. It'll be a disaster if you collapse."
"Don't worry. It's nothing. This isn't my first time."
The script reading for Beneficial Evil was scheduled for around noon on the 13th. Executive Director Kim Sohyang and writer Choi Nana would both attend, but the person who needed to hurry the most today was PD Song Manwoo. Tomorrow would be the first step in a global challenge, the day that would finally wrap up Beneficial Evil's long pre-production phase. There was no time to rest.
Before long, PD Song Manwoo returned to DM Production.
As expected, Kang Woojin was too busy keeping up with his packed schedule to think about anything else. Earlier that morning he had held a large-scale fan signing event as an advertising model, and right now he was on the move to another commercial shoot. That evening he was also scheduled for a short internet live broadcast related to his social media activities, a chance to connect with fans.
'Ah, I'm going to yawn. I need to get into the void space and recharge like crazy.'
Woojin, deeply absorbed in maintaining his concept, was doing his best to hold back a yawn when—
Bzzzz.
His phone vibrated briefly. In truth, his phone had not had a single quiet moment all day, but this time it was a DM. It was a message from Kosaku Mana, Japan's top actress. Along with a simple How have you been?, she had attached screenshots of several Japanese articles.
[Was it a play for noise marketing? Kang Woojin's announcement for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice spread like wildfire!]
[Arrogance or confidence? Experts divided over Kang Woojin's remarks about the Japanese film industry]
The articles Mana had sent were all filled with news about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and Kang Woojin.
'How rude. I only said what I thought.'
Woojin let out a quiet laugh and replied casually before opening another app. He checked several Japanese portal sites, social media platforms, and communities. After searching for about ten minutes, Kang Woojin came to a single conclusion.
'They're really going all in on the promotion.'
The promotion and marketing for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice were on a completely different level. In fact, ever since the press conference, Director Kyotaro and the production team for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had been feeding interesting updates to the Japanese press every single day without fail.
[Following the press conference, editing on The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is expected to be completed by the end of this month, with release anticipated for the end of October.]
They were diligently carrying out their decision to scale everything up dramatically.
[Following Kang Woojin's confidence? The production team behind The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice announces a major expansion of preview screenings and other events]
As he quietly observed the situation in Japan, Woojin began imagining what would come next.
'If they've built expectations this ridiculously high, won't Japanese audiences completely lose their minds once The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice actually opens?'
Just imagining the aftermath of the release sent a chill through him. But that feeling lasted only for a moment.
'Well, it's not like I have anything to be scared of.'
Woojin quickly shook the thought off. To be honest, as long as the project succeeded, what did it matter what happened afterward? Thanks to the extra time, Kang Woojin ended up with about thirty minutes of breathing room once he arrived at the commercial shoot.
Lately, most of Woojin's attention had been focused on Leech.
The production team behind Leech had remained quiet throughout filming, but after the preview screening held a few days earlier, they had started moving in earnest. As a result, Leech had now become one of the hottest topics in Korea.
[Film Talk: Cannes submission Leech completes preview screening. Attention turns to which section it will enter!]
At present, Leech had already completed the official submission process after being invited to Cannes, but the question of which section it would enter had not yet been decided. The Cannes Film Festival, the pinnacle of the world's three major international film festivals, is divided into various sections, commonly called award sections or competition sections. The core and main event of Cannes is the Competition Section, with Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, and others beneath it.
Around twenty films from around the world are selected for the Competition Section, and among them, the highest prize, the Palme d'Or, is awarded.
The runner-up prizes include the Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. All of those awards lie at the heart of Cannes, and actors and filmmakers around the world strive to claim them.
An announcement was expected soon.
[Cannes to officially announce films selected for the Competition Section on the 17th. How many Korean films, including Leech, will make the cut?]
The Cannes Film Festival announces its selections all at once through a press conference in France. Of course, the event can also be watched live through platforms like YouTube. The films announced in this way are only those selected for the Competition Section. The rest are posted on the official website.
In simple terms, being invited to Cannes at all was already an honor, but to truly receive worldwide attention—
[Can Leech, the film painstakingly prepared by Director Ahn Gahbok, enter this year's Cannes Competition Section?]
—the first step was making it into Competition.
September 13, DM Production.
The doors to the large conference room at DM Production, which was making Beneficial Evil, were tightly shut. A few staff members stood guard outside, and a laminated sign had been taped to the glass door.
[Beneficial Evil Script Reading Room]
That was right. Inside, the script reading for Beneficial Evil was currently in full swing. Around the large square table in the wide conference room sat numerous actors, and around them were the core staff, including the production director, action director, cinematographer, and others. Of course, Ethan Smith from the overseas stunt team was there as well.
'Korean script readings are actually pretty similar to Hollywood. The atmosphere's just a little calmer.'
That day, Netflix executives, including Executive Director Kim Sohyang, were also present, bringing the total number of attendees to well over a hundred. At the very front of the square table sat PD Song Manwoo and writer Choi Nana.
"Next, we'll move on to the actor introductions."
Most of the cast were either rookies or relatively unknown names. Among them were Hwarin, Ha Kangsu, and a few other notable A-list actors appearing with their hats pulled low. There were also rookie actors like Im Haeun, who had a cute yet somehow melancholy air, and Jo Muchan, who gave off a sense of freshness. But in the end, they were still actors not yet widely known.
The true centerpiece of this crowded script reading was the following introduction.
"Actor Kang Woojin, who will be playing Jang Yeonwoo."
"Hello. I'm Kang Woojin. I'm glad to be working with all of you."
Even though he had only been in the industry for two years, Kang Woojin was already an actor with worldwide recognition, and domestically, he stood at the highest level in terms of influence.
By taking on the role of Jang Yeonwoo in Beneficial Evil, he was about to step into a new phase as an actor.
A few dozen hours later.
The domestic press began pouring out articles about Beneficial Evil.
[[Photo] Netflix Drama Beneficial Evil Gathers Its Cast, Including Kang Woojin, for Script Reading / Photo]
[Netflix drama Beneficial Evil successfully completes script reading. Lead actor Kang Woojin shines and prepares to step onto the global stage.]
Exactly four days later, on Friday the 17th.
There were now only about three days left until the first overseas shoot for the Beneficial Evil team.
Slide.
The moment he finished a photo shoot and climbed into the van, Kang Woojin immediately picked up his phone. Choi Sunggeon, his ponytail tied back, did the same. It was around four in the afternoon. Outwardly, Woojin looked calm and indifferent, but inwardly he was in turmoil.
'The Cannes announcement must already be starting by now!'
It might be afternoon in Korea, but in France it was morning, which meant the official selections for Cannes should be being announced right around now.
Thud.
Woojin quickly opened YouTube. The link had already been shared, so it did not take long for him to access the stream. On the livestream he was watching, the head figure of the Cannes Film Festival appeared on screen. He was a balding foreign man, calmly speaking into the microphone amid a barrage of camera flashes as he announced the twenty films selected for the Competition Section.
These were the films that would become the major talking points of this year's Cannes Festival.
'Thank god, they've only just started announcing them.'
Woojin focused on the video. The Cannes director began speaking in French. The first film was French. The second was Japanese, the third German, then came a British film. The announcements continued. Before long, the fifteenth film had been revealed. During that stretch, another Japanese film was called, but Korean films had still not been mentioned.
And finally.
'Nineteenth!'
The announcement was almost over. But even the nineteenth film was French. Woojin nearly let out a loud curse.
'Ah, damn it!'
Still, he somehow managed to keep his composure.
At that very moment.
["The twentieth film selected for the Competition Section. Leech, directed by Korea's Ahn Gahbok."]
Leech was announced last.