Chapter 20: Sixth Sense Premiere

  The afterglow of the setting sun gradually dissipated, and darkness enveloped the entire sky without warning. Under the night curtain, the City of Angels was flashing with neon lights, shining brightly.

  Outside the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, people were buzzing with excitement. A long red carpet was rolled out far away, and as celebrities stepped onto the red carpet, the sound of camera shutters clicking became a continuous hum. At the same time, fans cheered, reporters asked questions, and paparazzi shouted, all creating a cacophony of noise.

  Putting down the camera, Mick Taylor let out a temporary sigh of relief. As an entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, he was used to seeing all sorts of big scenes. If it weren't for the slow season of movie releases and if Miramax hadn't put out those promotional messages, it would have been difficult for him to personally show up for a film that relied solely on Al Pacino's presence.

  "Mike, is Mira Max just hyping this up?" his assistant asked at this time. "A ten-year-old kid can speak fluently and write a movie script? Is that possible unless he's from Mars."

  "Can't you see that the screenwriter's name is the same as one of the actors, Ryan Jenkins? Who is this person, did he just pop out of a stone or something?"

  In Mike Taylor's view, since Miramax dared to explicitly state in the promotion that the script came from a child's hand or was adapted by him and his guardian, they must have been absolutely sure, otherwise, even if Harvey Weinstein had thick skin, he wouldn't dare to fool the public.

  "Hey Mike, they're coming, it must be them!"

  A stunningly beautiful and sexy woman, now walking the red carpet with a boy about ten years old, an assistant hastily reminds Mick Taylor.

  Although he was a bit nervous, Ryan calmed himself down and reminded himself that his past life working in a large movie theater chain for many years had seen all sorts of red carpets, which helped him somewhat.

  "Come on, Ryan, you're going to crack your face if you keep scowling like that." Nicole Kidman whispered.

  "Alright, people on both sides are like stones, and the reporters and paparazzi are all rotten eggs. Ryan started self-hypnosis, even though the flashing camera lights made him uncomfortable from time to time, but he still managed to squeeze out a smile."

  "Miss Nicole Kidman, this should be your first work in Hollywood, are you prepared to stay in Hollywood for development?"

  "Miss Kidman, I hear this film is based on your own and... ah, Mr. Ryan's personal experiences, is that true?"

  When they arrived at the press area, all sorts of questions were thrown their way, but Nicole didn't seem to want to answer any of them, ignoring the shouting and pulling Ryan's hand as she walked straight into the theater.

  Ryan glanced at this famous theater and, to be honest, in his opinion, the name "Chinese Theater" was too misleading. Not only did it not have any Chinese architectural style, but it also had some similarities with a certain country that produced many transgenders. Maybe it should be renamed "Thailand Theater"?

  "Hey Al, and Dave, long time no see." Ryan said with a wave.

  "Ryan, you've grown a lot." Al Pacino walked over, habitually wanting to pat the boy's shoulder, suddenly remembering past experiences, hurriedly stopping, with his hand suspended in mid-air, looking very comical.

  "Al, don't worry, there are no tacks under my formal wear."

  Everyone in the crew burst out laughing at Ryan's joking words, they remembered clearly that during filming, Ryan would often tap Al Pacino's shoulder to get revenge, and deliberately put a thumbtack with the tip ground off upside down on his shirt under his clothes, waiting for him to fall into his own trap.

  After finishing the shoot with the crew, he and Nicole walked directly into the theater. The premiere was not big, and there were not many stars invited. Most of the Hollywood stars from the early 90s, except for a few, Ryan didn't know, even if he had seen them in some movies, he had almost forgotten.

  Besides, he's still a kid and not famous, so not many people will talk to him. In order not to disturb Nicole who was socializing in the crowd, the boy simply found a corner and planned to enter the screening hall directly when the time was almost up to watch the movie.

  Unexpectedly, he didn't walk far before seeing a few people huddled together chatting about something. One of them stood there like a small mountain, solid and unshakeable. His distinctive figure, with a slightly paralyzed face, made him instantly recognize who the other person was.

  Ryan didn't leave either, and it wasn't good to directly go up and greet them, so he stood on one side, planning to listen to what they were saying, because the mustachioed man who spoke first was also someone he knew.

  "Karloco Film Company has integrated the copyright, I rushed out the main line of the script, although there are still many problems, but the basic framework of the film is already there, now what's lacking is just funding, without sufficient funds, I have no way." said the man with a goatee.

  "Jim thinks this film needs at least eighty million dollars in investment."

  "Eighty million? Eighty million dollars is not enough, at least one hundred million dollars!" The man with the sideburns extended a finger.

  "Oh God, Jim, you're going to scare off all the investors sooner or later."

  "Will Arnold's portrayal of T-800 be a good guy?" another person asked.

  "That's right." Lao Hu sighed, seemingly having a lot of difficulties, "Although I've had many ideas for the villainous robot, I still can't think of what kind of robot would fit the identity of the future Sky Net Killer."

  "A liquid robot!" A slightly childish boy's voice suddenly came from behind them, "This future killer machine is made of a liquid alloy, it can simulate objects with similar volume to those it has come into contact with, including humans. Its body can also change into various cold weapons, killing people like a slaughterhouse, without any emotions or rationality!"

  "In the midst of everyone's astonished gaze, Ryan showed not a shred of embarrassment. 'Hello, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mr. James Cameron, I think you were discussing the sequel to Terminator? I just happened to be passing by and overheard your conversation, hope you don't mind.'"

  "It's okay." The boy opposite him was polite and courteous, making people feel good at first sight.

  "Little guy, how did you come up with this robot?" James Cameron asked curiously.

  "I've seen Terminator." Ryan quickly licked his tongue, "Please don't tell others, okay? Actually, many plots in the first one can be extended, for example, that future savior, I think this movie will definitely have a second part. Sometimes I just think wildly, if Mr. Schwarzenegger plays a robot protecting the savior, what should his opponent look like?"

  "If the T800 is a heavy tank, then its opponent should have distinctly different characteristics. I also really like Transformers, so I thought of a robot that can change shape at will, one that's as agile as a Porsche, a liquid metal robot!"

  What Ryan said was clear and logical, as if he had thought of it himself.

  These words obviously touched James Cameron, who looked at Ryan thoughtfully and asked after a while, "Little guy, what's your name? You look familiar to me."

  "Ryan Jenkins, you can call me Ryan."

  "Ryan Jenkins?" Arnold Schwarzenegger was a bit more sensitive in interpersonal relationships and immediately thought of something, "Are you the little boy in 'The Sixth Sense'?"

  "Yes. I played a role." Ryan then saw Nicole waving at him from the other side and said, "Sorry, I have to go."

  "It's okay."

  As that little boy with a big grin walked into the screening room holding hands with a woman, Arnold Schwarzenegger asked, "Jim, this setup sounds pretty good."

  "It's more than just fine." James Cameron let out a soft breath, the puzzle that had been bothering him for so long was solved just like that, "An excellent idea."

  James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger also walked towards the screening hall, just before entering the door, Cameron subconsciously glanced at the poster of "The Sixth Sense" and hastily saw a line of words - Screenplay: Rhett Jenkins.

  After the opening credits of Miramax, the movie opens with a tragedy as the male lead dies right from the start, although this won't be revealed until the end.

  Unlike others, Ryan subconsciously compared it with another movie in his mind while watching.

  Can't help but say, David Fincher was called a genius director in his past life, and it's not an undeserved reputation. Although this film is only 60-70% similar to the previous one, it also has the common problem of films in this era - a slow pace.

  But this was just the beginning of the 90s, and fast food culture had not yet risen. Moreover, David's handling of suspense and emotional conflicts is extremely delicate and excellent, with many plots reminding audiences what a psychological doctor is like.

  Communication, interaction and family are almost timeless topics in North America. Moreover, the film has played such a big trick that it's worth noting that this technique, which was almost used to death in the new century, is extremely rare in this era.

  When everyone was moved to tears by Cole's and his mother's emotional outburst, thinking that this was the end of the movie, the psychologist returned home to discover a shocking truth: he had died!

  Many people unconsciously recalled what the little boy had said - I can see ghosts, they don't know they're dead, they walk around like us, only seeing things they want to see - and suddenly realized.