I am Hollywood

Chapter 814: Chapter 815: Bond vs. Charlie's Angels

[Chapter 815: Bond vs. Charlie's Angels]

In the updated storyline, Vesper, just before her death, handed a necklace to Bond. The pendant featured a photograph of Vesper and her sister, Angela Lynd.

Bond used the pendant along with other clues left by Vesper to piece together the situation and embarked on a quest for revenge to rescue Angela Lynd.

Meanwhile, Charlie's Angels agency had been scouting around the world for girls with special abilities to join their ranks. Angela Lynd, who had been influenced by her father, a high-level mechanical engineer, and had a fascination with intricate mechanical designs, caught their attention.

Charlie's Angels agency utilized its foundation to provide a scholarship for Angela Lynd, selecting her as a key candidate for their Angels program.

Following the events of Casino Royale, Angela Lynd was kidnapped by an offshoot organization of the Spectre, aiming to force Vesper Lynd to hand over the $150 million that Bond won gambling.

Angela's disappearance alerted Charlie's Angels agency, and since Selena, Jill, and Lucine were in the UK at the time, they received the task of finding Angela Lynd.

Because of this storyline, which did not belong to the official organization, Charlie's Angels found themselves entangled in the Spectre's web, officially merging MGM's spy movie universe. The script for the upcoming third installment of Charlie's Angels planned to incorporate a subplot where the Spectre organization retaliated against Charlie's Angels, ultimately compelling them to collaborate with official agencies to strike back against the Spectre.

...

After Eric and Sophie Wilson confirmed their intention to acquire ARM, Chris took over the subsequent acquisition negotiations.

Over the years, despite Eric continuously injecting large sums of money into Firefly Investment Company through various equity incentives, Chris's stake in the company remained at the promised 3%.

This holding percentage might seem insignificant, but considering Firefly Investment's current asset scale, Chris's worth had already exceeded $600 million. If the news leaked, he would undoubtedly become one of North America's highest-paid executives. Moreover, in the coming years, with the NASDAQ index expected to soar, that 3% stake could easily appreciate by more than tenfold, potentially reaching a valuation of $10 billion, which wouldn't be surprising; certainly, the market cap of Firefly Investment would also become extraordinarily massive.

Chris watched as Firefly Investment Company grew, making him acutely aware of the value of his 3% stake. His exceptional work ethic warranted the compensation Eric provided, allowing Eric to take a back seat in day-to-day operations while he focused on defining the company's overall direction and entrusting the finer details to Chris.

...

With ARM's matter settled, Eric wholly immersed himself in the final stages of filming Casino Royale.

In the following week, Kate, Charlize, and Penelope joined the set to start filming the crossover storylines. After years of experience, the three had shed their initial naivety, and although their roles weren't extensive, everything progressed smoothly.

While Eric filmed the primary Bond-related scenes, a second director took Kate and the others to Italy to complete some shots that had been left unfinished due to scheduling conflicts.

The final scene of this version of Casino Royale took place on a small island in the English Channel. However, the crew did not plan to shoot on that island. Aside from necessary exterior shots, most of the scenes would still be filmed in the soundstages at Pinewood Studios.

After Vesper's death, Bond followed various clues and eventually located the Spectre organization's lair on that small island in the English Channel, where Angela Lynd was also trapped.

Simultaneously, Selena and the others arrived at the island. The island's security was incredibly tight. The trio's sole intention was to rescue Angela without confronting the Spectre directly, so they planned to sneak in through the ventilation ducts to quietly extract Angela Lynd.

Bond, on the other hand, had vengeance on his mind while rescuing Angela, charging straight into the base. By inadvertently drawing a large number of villains away from the Angels, he inadvertently aided Selena and the others in their mission to rescue Angela.

However, due to Bond causing chaos in the base, the route the Angels used for entry was accidentally blown up, forcing them to exit through the front. This set the stage for the first direct confrontation between Bond and Charlie's Angels.

The scene was action-packed, even somewhat audacious.

Neither side recognized the other, and upon encountering, they naturally engaged in a fierce battle.

The thought of James Bond battling Charlie's Angels was exhilarating; Eric had long since decided that after refining this plot point, he would incorporate relevant shots in the trailer.

Of course, a great idea doesn't always translate to an easy shoot.

According to the detailed script, after Bond charged into the base, he would first encounter Selena, and in the urgent situation, neither side could afford to explain themselves, resulting in an immediate clash.

As the powerhouse among the trio, Selena's fighting capabilities had already shone in the previous two films.

In fact, if one looked closely at the detailed settings, under life-and-death circumstances, Bond might indeed struggle to best Selena relying solely on his fists.

While filming previously, Bond hadn't showcased a particularly impressive fighting style, but as a MI6 top agent, he undoubtedly possessed significant skills. Moreover, standing over 6 feet tall, Bond naturally held a considerable advantage over the relatively petite Selena, and applying the principle of force, both sides should equally match in combat.

...

At Pinewood Studios, the set for Bond's 007 series had been buzzing with activity over the past few days.

Having made a significant impact in recent years, Charlie's Angels' popularity rivaled that of Bond. Consequently, the plot featuring Bond clashing with Charlie's Angels attracted considerable attention, drawing anyone with access to the soundstage in attendance.

In front of him laid a set depicting a corridor's corner.

Bond aggressively entered, while the Angels escorted Angela Lynd out, leading to their encounter.

To achieve the best effect, the three girls wouldn't appear simultaneously. Selena would first face off against Bond, creating this installment's most iconic fight scene.

Eric had specific requirements for Selena's choreography: straightforward and fierce. After extended discussions with the action director, they determined that to make the fight visually appealing, they would significantly showcase Selena's leg techniques since, as a woman, her punches against someone as tall as Bond might lack visual impact. However, her leg work would be an entirely different story.

A fight may seem continuous on screen, yet the actual filming required breaking down each shot.

In front of the monitors, Eric, along with cinematographer Nicole, the action director, and the Broccoli siblings who'd stopped by, reviewed the footage and discussed before summoning Pierce Brosnan and Kate Beckinsale from their rest.

"Pierce, Kate, we need to reshoot that last scene," Eric announced, pressing replay to elaborate on the necessary reshoot requirements. "If you just pin Kate against the wall, it's unlikely you can actually hold her back. So, I want you to catch Kate's ankle when she kicks high and push her against the wall."

Eric continued, disregarding the curious expressions from Pierce Brosnan and Kate, and turned to the action director from Hong Kong. "Mr. Yuen, could you and Miss Lee demonstrate?"

"Sure," came the response as they called over an Eastern girl whose build resembled Kate's; she was the stand-in they had arranged.

Watching the two demonstrate, Kate couldn't help but roll her eyes at Eric, whispering, "Eric, don't you think this feels a bit too flirty?"

Eric replied with a chuckle, "We want to create that chemistry between Bond and Selena for the audience. If the reaction is positive, we could set up more interactions between them in future episodes."

Kate frowned slightly, "You mean, tying Bond and Selena together?"

"That's not a certainty; perhaps the eventual conclusion will address the audience's wishes, but before that, it'd be best for Bond and Selena to maintain a somewhat ambiguous relationship. Many facts demonstrate that this effect often works best."

"But," Kate glanced again at Miss Lee, who effortlessly executed the high kick.

Following her gaze, Eric quietly asked, "Have you slacked off on your training these past two years?"

"Me?" Kate's cheeks flushed a bit. Despite not quitting her workouts for the role, her rising fame over the years meant she no longer trained with the same intensity as when Eric originally scheduled their training.

After a moment's thought, Eric asked, "If we break that shot down, could you do the splits?"

Kate considered, then nodded.

"Alright, let's go with that," said Eric as he approached again to finalize a plan with the action design team before filming continued.

...

As Eric readied everyone for the next scene, background actors playing the villains found their spots, lying on the floor as if defeated, illustrating the aftermath of Bond's recent clash with the villains.

The initial portion of the action was soon completed; after a brief preparation, the script supervisor yelled 'Action!'

In the shot, Kate emotionlessly swept a high kick towards Pierce, who reached for her but unexpectedly missed, end up getting his face kicked despite the force being light, leaving him in a slightly awkward position.

Eric stepped forward, watching the medical staff check on Pierce and asked, "Pierce, do you need a moment?"

"Nope," Pierce shook his head, smiling gallantly at the apologetic Kate. "It's alright, Kate, no need to worry about it."

Occasionally, taking a few hits during fight scenes was unavoidable. Seeing Pierce was fine, Eric quickly resumed filming.

After a few more takes, Pierce finally completed the intended action successfully.

Dressed in a tight black leather outfit, Selena lifted one leg high, pinned firmly against the wall by Bond, unable to move.

In this shot, the camera focused on their intense gaze; after a brutal struggle, Bond managed to subdue the fierce 'little wildcat' before him, his expression slightly grim. Selena, though captured, remained composed and indifferent, but due to their somewhat intimate positioning, their gaze created a spark that was electrifying.

Echoing footsteps soon disrupted their peculiar standoff as Jill and the others appeared.

Seeing Selena subdued by Bond, Jill promptly raised her gun, aiming it at him. Almost simultaneously, Bond freed one hand to deftly draw his own weapon, targeting Jill.

At that moment, both sides seemed to recognize a deeper issue; hence, no communication or further combat was initiated.

Lucine kept Angela safe in the periphery, just able to glimpse the intersecting corridors, her eyes sweeping over scattered Spectre goons. "Hey, everyone, why do I suddenly feel like we're on the same team?"

Jill, close to Lucine, noted the similar scene in both corridors: the goons they faced were from Selena's recent battle while the ones on the opposite side matched the one in front of them. Since they shared a common enemy, Jill slowly lowered her gun.

While Bond's wariness had not entirely faded, he recognized Angela and noticed how Lucine was protecting her, prompting him to gradually relax his hold on Selena.

Casting a glance at the trio, Bond took Vesper's necklace from his pocket and handed it to Angela. "Your sister sent me to rescue you."

Angela accepted the necklace, her expression confused. A very clever girl, she already sensed that the recent events were unusual, looking up at Bond to ask, "Where's my sister?"

Bond's face darkened slightly, but before he could explain, footsteps echoed in the distance.

"Get her out of here. I'll find you," Bond warned vigilantly, pulling his gun from his waist.

The Angels, who initially aimed only to rescue Angela without an intention to engage the Spectre organization, couldn't fight alongside Bond for no reason. Thus, they made a hasty withdrawal.

Bond eliminated several reappearing goons as he made his way toward the main villain responsible for Vesper Lynd's death, determined to settle the score.

*****

/Sayonara816.