[Chapter 478: Prop Gun Accidental Discharge]
On board the Black Pearl pirate ship, Link stood behind Camera 2, watching the photographers capture every moment.
The director of photography for the crew was Dariusz Wolski, 42 years old this year, highly skilled in cinematography and had worked with Link multiple times.
Besides his technical expertise and rich experience, Dariusz Wolski's biggest advantage was his ability to understand Link's instructions quickly.
Before each shoot, Link held meetings with the photographers to explain what type of shots were needed and the emotional tone and depth to be conveyed.
Dariusz Wolski could grasp his meaning swiftly and deliver perfect results during filming.
...
"Cut!"
After completing a set of shots, Link reviewed the footage and was very satisfied. Both the lead actors and extras performed very well. The leads portrayed their characters' traits perfectly, while the extras playing pirates acted aggressively, like a real group of pirates.
This demonstrated that assistant director Gary Faber's skill in coaching the extras was excellent.
After finishing the set, the crew busied themselves preparing for the next set, which began ten minutes later.
...
Johnson, under the direction of the assistant director and production assistants, took his position again. Since he performed well, he was even rewarded with an extra line, though it was just three words, which made other extras envious.
...
After a full day's work, Johnson dragged his tired body back to the hotel. He grabbed a can of Boston beer from the fridge and gulped it down, instantly cooling his sun-baked body.
"Johnson, did you see Link today?" The hitman John hurried in.
"Not only did I see him, I almost took him out," Johnson grinned wickedly.
"Oh, what happened?"
"During filming, Link came behind the camera to watch. He was less than ten meters away from me. If I had drawn my gun and pulled the trigger, I could've blown his skull open."
Johnson made a shooting gesture with his finger and then pretended to blow away the barrel. "Too bad there were too many people around, and Link's bodyguards were nearby. If I'd drawn my gun, I would have been exposed. It was too risky, so I didn't make a move."
"You're right. Link is a public figure and often appears in public. It would be easy to assassinate him, but we shouldn't rush. It's best to wait for a more discreet time and place to take him out, which also reduces exposure risk."
"I get it. But Link's bodyguards are always around. They're highly alert -- whether on patrol or resting, they're ready for anything. It's tough to find an opportunity to strike."
Johnson had seen Link's bodyguards -- they were very vigilant, constantly maintaining combat readiness.
"There will be opportunities. We need patience."
John and Johnson chatted about the crew and the filming process.
Johnson said the shoot was boring, nowhere near as exciting as watching a movie. He also mentioned the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones, mocking Link as a lecherous demon who monopolized all the beautiful women worldwide.
John envied Link, too.
---
"California is so hot -- shooting outdoors is tough."
In the seaside hotel, Catherine Zeta-Jones came out of the bathroom wearing silk pajamas. Her slightly damp long curls draped over her shoulders, and a faint floral scent filled the air.
"Just hang in there. We'll finish filming in a few days."
"Got it."
Catherine Zeta-Jones kissed his cheek, sat on the sofa, crossed her long, fair legs, and glanced at the papers in his hand. "Box office this week? How are our company's movies doing?"
"Pretty good."
Rush Hour 2, There's Something About Mary, and The Waterboy continued to show stable box office gains.
This week, Guess Pictures was releasing a new romantic comedy in collaboration with Columbia Pictures called As Good as It Gets.
[T/N: Looks like there is an issue with the original. The author mentioned the movie As Good as It Gets was released last year, starring Jack Nicholson, and Michelle Pfeiffer.]
It told the story of Melvin Udall, a cranky old writer who, influenced by his neighbor Simon and waitress Carol Connolly, transforms from a racist and sexist man into a philanthropist.
Directed by James Brooks and starring Jack Nicholson and Julianne Moore, the film had a production budget of $50 million. In its first week across 1,572 theaters, it earned $24.39 million, a strong box office performance with high critical acclaim.
With growing word-of-mouth, the movie was expected to make even more money.
However, next week's release of Armageddon would likely impact As Good as It Gets's earnings somewhat.
---
"Link, Chris Barnes is on the phone. There's been an incident on the set," Aishwarya rushed in holding her phone.
Link took the call. Chris Barnes reported, "Link, something happened. As per your orders, we inspect the props every day after filming. Just now, during inspection, we found a real gun, and an employee was injured. Luckily, he only got shot through his palm. It's not too serious."
"The firearms on set are all props. How did a real gun get involved?" Link frowned.
"I'm not sure, but I assure you all prop guns are fake -- we had checked multiple times. The barrels of all prop guns were solid, incapable of loading bullets or pulling triggers. How that real gun got mixed in, I don't know. This is damn serious!"
Chris Barnes cursed in frustration. Given Link's earlier rules, if the prop team caused another incident, he wasn't getting his bonus this year.
"First, get the injured treated at the hospital. I'll leave the gun matter to the security company -- they're experts in this area. Also, how many people were at the scene? Can we keep this under wraps for now? Don't let more people find out."
"At that time, only a few of us in the prop team were there. After the gunshot, other crews came over to see what was happening. When we took the injured to the hospital, many people were watching and discussing. Keeping this quiet now might be impossible."
"Understood. Take care of the injured first. I'll make arrangements for the rest."
...
Link called executive producer Mike Statham to calm the crew, control the internal rumors, and prepare for journalists who might appear.
Then he called Wallace to have his team secure the scene and look for any chance to trace the culprit via the real gun.
Link had planned to meet up that night with Catherine Zeta-Jones and the newly arrived Kate Beckinsale, Kate Winslet, and Aishwarya.
But with this incident, he had to postpone his plans and first deal with the situation on set.
He promised to spend time with the girls after everything was settled.
---
The next day, Johnson reported to the set. While going to the restroom, he overheard someone saying that a prop gun accidentally discharged the evening before and that a prop team member was killed.
Hearing this, Johnson scoffed. He recalled news where certain film crews had prop guns turning into real guns, accidentally killing actors or cameramen. Never thought such a thing would happen on the Pirates of the Caribbean set -- it was ironic.
Wait!
He suddenly remembered his pistol disguised as a prop gun was still on the set. He feared being searched upon entering, so he hadn't taken it away after filming.
'Could it be that gun?'
'Could I get exposed?'
"Should I get out now?"
But fleeing now would look suspicious -- like a guilty thief -- and would expose him.
Johnson rubbed his bald head and decided to brave it out to check the prop room.
...
"Everyone, come get your props. Use the same ones as yesterday. Don't take others' guns," Chris Barnes, the prop manager, barked at more than 40 extras dressed as pirates.
Johnson blended into the crowd, quickly went to the cabinet, picked up a similar-looking pistol, and clipped it to his belt.
Only one pirate extra hadn't found his gun.
"Is this your gun?" Chris Barnes pointed at the pistol left on the counter.
"No, mine isn't that heavy," the slender extra shook his head.
"Then whose gun is this? Who took the wrong one? Don't think you can get away with it. Each gun handle has fingerprints. If we send them to the police fingerprint lab, the owner will be identified in less than a day. I hope whoever made the mistake owns up to it," Chris Barnes warned.
Johnson broke out in a cold sweat. His fingerprints were indeed on the gun. If the crew sent it to the police, he was very likely to be exposed.
What should he do? Admit it?
But recalling the earlier talk about someone being shot dead, admitting now could be serious, possibly exposing his identity as an assassin.
Johnson kept his mouth shut.
Seeing no one stepped forward, Chris Barnes reluctantly waved them off to prepare.
Wallace, standing in the corner, also left to report to Link.
...
Link asked if fingerprint identification could find the gun's owner. Wallace said chances were slim.
The prop team had handled the gun during inspection, the blood from the shooting was on the gun body, and Chris Barnes and others had also touched it. Many fingerprints remained.
The gun had been wiped before.
Now identifying the gun owner by fingerprints was very difficult, but they would try.
Link nodded and told Wallace to keep an eye on the group of leads to prevent more incidents.
To lure out the culprit and test if the person brought a gun into the crew for a reason, Link proactively engaged with the extras during filming, directing them face-to-face, even signing autographs and taking photos.
Unfortunately, the culprit didn't reveal themselves.
Watching Link so close but unable to act, Johnson gritted his teeth, forcing himself to hold back his murderous urge.
...
In the afternoon, the crew shot three continuous scenes -- after the sea battle, the extras playing pirates and royal navy finished their parts.
As they left, Johnson received his weekly pay of $1,800.
"Done already?" Johnson stared at the envelope full of cash, dumbfounded. His mission was to assassinate Link, but filming ended before he could act?
What a pity.
Several chances to kill Link had appeared, but without his gun, he had to hold back.
He returned from the crew and told the other hitman John what happened.
Hearing about the gun exposure, John wiped his sweat.
Though disappointed about the failed assassination, John wasn't too worried. Link was a billionaire with tight security; killing him wasn't easy.
Besides, the operation wasn't without gain.
They learned more about Link through these events, raising their chances of success next time they tried.
"I hear Link's back in Los Angeles. Let's go there and find a chance to take him out," John said.
John and Johnson packed and left the hotel.
...
On the way to Los Angeles, John received a call from his agent, Kate.
Kate told him that their speed was too slow. Their employer was impatient and had dispatched two groups of elite assassins to kill Link.
To make money, they must act faster and get to Link first.
John understood.
*****
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