Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 229



Only Noblemtl

229.

An offer came to me that I never could have imagined.

There was even news of a movie adaptation of ‘Kung-fury’.

When I heard the news from Simon while I was still in school, I drove to Los Angeles that weekend and headed to the Hardboiled Publishers office. I wanted to hear the full story in person, so I kept the phone conversation short.

As the matter was of the utmost importance, the story reached Julia, and when I arrived, Simon opened his mouth with a nervous expression, as if he had been counting down the days until today.

“DC Comics says they’ve received an offer to make a movie out of ‘Kung-Fury.’”

“Where from?”

As expected, Julia. She got straight to the point.

“What did he say······. Ah, why can’t I remember it all of a sudden?”

Simon tilted his head, then returned to his desk and fetched his notebook.

From that reaction, I guessed that it must have been some unknown film company. If it had been a famous place like Columbia Pictures or Paramount Pictures, I wouldn’t have had to look up the name written down in the notebook.

But when I heard Simon’s words as he turned the page, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide.

“Oh, it’s Sony.”

“Sony? Is there a movie studio there?”

“I heard they are establishing it this time.”

‘Sony Pictures’.

I kept my mouth shut as the word came to mind.

If I remember correctly, it was a place created by Sony, which was practically dominating the world in the electronics industry in the 1980s, as it sought to expand into the content business. And with their overwhelming capital power, they soon acquired Columbia Pictures from Coca-Cola.

‘It’s one of the film companies that will continue to do very well even in the future.’

I thought, squinting my eyes.

I asked again just to confirm.

“Is this a TV movie offer?”

“No, it’s a theatrical release.”

I squinted my eyes even more at Simon’s words. They almost looked like needles now.

Television movies had the advantage of being able to be produced at a lower cost than regular movies because they did not have to be screened in theaters. So they were often made with low budgets, cast new actors, and were short-lived.

I thought ‘Kung-fury’ might have been suggested to fit that format, but after hearing the story, I found out that wasn’t the case either.

‘To summarize······.’

If the proposal came directly through the company, it means that the establishment of ‘Sony Pictures’ was already publicly known among the people involved, and naturally, the initial business plan would have been planned to some extent, starting with what kind of movies to make and how to make them, and even marketing.

And it seemed like they were trying to add ‘Kung-fury’ to that list.

‘Well.’

I was wondering if this made any sense.

It was not until the distant future that technological advancements made comic book-based movies like the Marvel Cinematic Universe mainstream, but fundamentally, “superhero movies” were a very minor genre.

There may be several reasons, but I think the biggest reason is that the original genre is ‘comics’.

In this era, ‘comics’ were virtually a culture exclusive to children.

To be precise, it was a time when the trend of children who grew up reading comics and leading the market was slowly changing, but the public perception was still like that.

1966, Batman.

1977, Spider-Man.

1978, Doctor Strange.

Although superhero movies came out in the form of ‘television movies’, the first movie to be produced as a full-fledged theatrical blockbuster was the famous 1978 film, ‘Superman’.

But even after that, works like ‘Captain America’ still followed the format of a television movie.

The next film to hit theaters after the ‘Superman’ title was, as far back as I can remember, ‘Supergirl’, which came out in 1984.

So what does this fact mean?

‘What I’m saying is that unless it’s something like the Superman franchise, it can’t be made into a proper movie.’

By the way, ‘Kung-fury’?

Isn’t it highly unlikely that it will ever be produced in its full-fledged form?

And yet they have made proposals. Why on earth could they be so proposing?

Before coming to a conclusion as the original author, I first asked for the opinions of two people.

“What do you two think?”

“Well, I don’t know much about the film industry. But from a business perspective, once a contract is signed, it can be used as a basis for marketing the work.”

“Hmm······.”

Unlike Julia, who gave a cool answer, Simon was lost in thought after hearing what I said.

The answer came back a moment later:

“Even if we sign a contract, I don’t think there’s a very good chance that ‘Kung-Fury’ will be made properly. To put it bluntly, I heard that even Batman movies are in trouble right now because they can’t find a director. Even if they do make it, I’m worried that it won’t be as good as we think.”

“That’s right.”

Julia nodded and looked back at me.

“What do you think, author?”

“Well, I agree with both of you.”

I also answered that way.

I’ll be honest. I consider ‘Kung-Fury’ to be one of the proudest works I’ve ever written. But if you ask me if it’s comparable to superheroes like Superman or Batman, who have stood tall as the representative superheroes for a long time, it’s absolutely not.

Moreover, even if it is made into a movie, concerns about quality cannot be ruled out in this day and age.

‘It’s clear that it won’t be produced to a level that I’m satisfied with.’

No matter how much budget is invested, there are limits to technology.

So, I’ve been receiving several offers to make a movie out of the ‘Losers’ series, but I’ve been turning them down because I feel like they’re all a bit ambiguous.

To portray such a vast world, you would need to bring in someone like George Lucas.

But as Julia Chandler said, I thought this deal could be a good highlight for my career.

Even in my previous life, my name value increased in an instant when ‘Dead Man’s Heaven’ became media-ized, and in this life, ‘About T: TV series’ also became a good turning point in my career.

Even if the film was indefinitely in the production stage, I would have been considered a ‘writer who sold the film rights’. If it had been a while since I returned, I would have immediately rejected it, asking what they thought of my work, but now, that is why I am considering various possibilities.

Because I always think that I want to move forward together with my colleagues.

“I wonder what to do about this.”

The two people each added a word as they watched me sigh.

“I will actively follow the author’s opinion.”

“Me too. I guess it matters what the author thinks.”

It was an extremely trustworthy statement, but that couldn’t help but make me more worried.

***

After finishing the meeting and returning home, I opened up ‘Kung-fury: Novel’ again.

‘If this novel were to be made into a movie, would it be expressed well?’

First, I put aside all the business aspects and started from there.

As I was flipping through the pages, the part that caught my eye was the latter half of the work.

The second half of the battle in ‘Kung-fury: Novel’ took place in a high-rise building over 50 stories high.

A landmark of Los Angeles and one of America’s great prides.

Zero wanted to incite the citizens by completely destroying the place.

The US government and superheroes are incompetent and nothing but hypocrites. Be angry. Wake up. Burn everything down with me, Zero, who is leading the way for you.

And Kung-Fury stood alone against him.

Their ‘first’ fight was very fierce.

Kung-Fury didn’t say anything. Neither did Zero. He simply responded with his various abilities as Kung-Fury countered his ‘superpower’ with old, worn-out martial arts.

It set the surroundings on fire, froze the gas pipes and pulled them out, causing an explosion. It moved between mirrors and suddenly fired bullets.

But Kung Fury wasn’t one to just watch. He used all his strength, knowledge, and experience to fight Zero.

The powerful body obtained through the experiments of the old country was merely a tool.

The foundation that allowed him to stand up to Zero was the martial arts he had learned from Shifu and the experience he had gained from repeating countless deaths. He knew no fear, for there was no end in the true sense of the word, and he bravely moved forward.

And against Kung-Fury, who was pressuring him without giving up, Zero finally used the super power he had stolen from Star Chaser.

The ability to fly at the fastest speed possible.

Zero flew around the inside and outside of the building, attacking Kung-Fury.

But unlike other superheroes who were busy being helplessly attacked, Kung-Fury held his stance firmly and continued to deflect his attacks. The more he did, the faster Zero continued to charge.

The reason why Kung-Fury was able to counter Zero’s charge was, of course, twofold.

One is the fact that he had already experienced it while dealing with the Star Chaser. The other is the martial arts power he learned from Shifu. As expected, the superhuman physical abilities were merely auxiliary means to perform those two, and Kung-Fury did not dwell on abilities alone.

After several such clashes, Zero’s body, unable to withstand Star Chaser’s super power, slowly disintegrated.

The spiked armor was shattered, the left arm was completely blown off, and the fabric over the face was torn, revealing the human face underneath.

And along with it, the building also began to collapse.

Kung-Fury looked around in surprise, because every time he slammed into Zero’s charge, he was thrown in a different direction, and the aftereffects of his body breaking off a little of the pillars that supported the building.

Only then did Kung-Fury realize that there were still many civilians inside the building waiting to be rescued, and he panicked, only to be grabbed by Zero’s neck who took advantage of his opening.

Zero speaks in an interesting voice.

[You, indeed, possess a power that I cannot understand.]

An ability that even Zero doesn’t know about: the ability to take away the powers of other superheroes.

Zero, wary of this, tries to completely kill Kung-Fury along with this building, unlike other superheroes who only take away his abilities and return him to his original form.

A high-temperature light emanated from between his eyes that were floating in the air.

Eventually, the building completely collapsed.

As he plummeted toward the ground, engulfed in debris, Kung-Fury saw:

Along with the collapse of the building, there are people caught up in it and dying together.

Today was his first death.

After dying like that, he went back in time and was revived to the moment right before he faced Zero.

But his mind was still burning with rage. The heat and pain he felt just before he died, the screams of people, and the images of dying corpses were still vivid before his eyes.

Kung-Fury clenched his teeth. He reminded himself that he must stop Zero, who did not hesitate to commit mass murder that went far beyond the limits of humanity.

Because he presents himself as a perfect messenger and spreads the wrong message.

Fortunately, there was one thing that Zero, who seemed to have figured out everything, didn’t know.

The point was that simply ‘killing’ the entity known as Kung Fury would not end this situation.

‘Okay, okay.’

Then came the parts that I revised after receiving feedback from DC Comics and Simon.

Kung-Fury attacks Zero again and again.

Meanwhile, unlike before, he wants to have a conversation with Zero little by little and examine his thoughts.

As he listens to his story about his unconditional antipathy towards superheroes and the US government, Kung-Fury becomes distracted and dies again and again, until he can’t even remember how many times he’s repeated the process, and finally, in disbelief, exclaims:

『“Hey! Even so, that doesn’t justify your actions!”

“You’re just talking about the same old things······! It’s enough for me to be firewood!”

“Damn, only crazy people say that! When they hear the right thing, they just say it out loud! They think of themselves as the most unfortunate people in the world!”

“Yes, that’s right! I am the most unfortunate person in the world!”

Zero babbling incomprehensible words.

But Kung-Fury was not fooled by that. He threw a punch at Zero’s face, his anger boiling with hatred, and dodged the spear of flame that was piercing into his side. At the same time, he raised his knee and knocked Zero’s arm, holding the spear, aside.

Because I already knew.

He had already figured out through repeated time reversals several times that if he simply ‘avoided’, the gas that Zero had secretly planted behind him would explode when the sparks came into contact with it.

Seeing Zero’s red eyes flicker for a moment, Kung-Fury kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying in the opposite direction.

“······You don’t know anything. Kung-Fury.”

“No, at least I know more than you. If anything, I know what wrong behavior is.”

Kung-Fury returns the blow cleanly, regaining his composure.

As he said, it was possible that Zero was really the most unfortunate person in the world. And he probably thought so himself. If it weren’t for that, there would be no reason for him to kill so many people and even kill himself in the process.

But then, so what?

“Just sign up for a kung fu school!”

“What······?”

“And give me the money! I’ll do kung fu with you for that!”

People these days aren’t interested in messages.

All they want is a cool sign that says ‘superhero’ or ‘kung fu’.

And Kung-Fury was a being who thoroughly exploited that fact to make money.

But then, so what?

Are you saying that ‘created war heroes’, ‘created superheroes’ and ‘created kung fu masters’ shouldn’t do the right thing?

Are you saying that a flawed human being cannot do the right thing?

“Woooooooo-!!”

Kung-Fury unleashed his inner ‘Fury’.

Ppaang-!

A clean burst of sound.

The fist that flew through the air slammed into Zero’s stomach. Zero, pushed to his limit, stumbled back, and Kung-Fury spoke in the same posture he had when he threw the punch.

“I don’t care about your past. What I care about is you and your actions now.”

“······Yes. So you’re saying that you’ll remain a symbol of hypocrisy until the end.”

“Because I gave you money.”

Despite his blunt words, Kung-Fury’s heart was filled with the elation he had felt in the past. It was as if he had returned to the time when he had been deluded into believing that he could become a superhuman through a state experiment and save people.

But the only difference between then and now is that now I try to do it even though I know it is a mistake.

What was important was the message.

“It’s the exact opposite of me. Okay, good. ‘Kung-fury’······. I am the symbol of hypocrisy. One who pretends to be evil in order to tell the truth. From now on, you can call me that. ‘Nin-zero’.”

Nin-Zero.

“You will see from now on. The greater harm that your hypocrisy will bring······!”

With those words he extended his hand.

At that moment, a hazy, fog-like filter covered Kung-Fury. While he was wondering what it was, he realized that he was trapped in some kind of translucent sphere. It was the ability of the superhero Captain Armadillo, the ‘Force Shield’. It had strong defensive power, but once used, it took a considerable amount of time for it to be released, so Zero did not use this ability during battle.

Why did he use this ability on himself? The moment he thought of that question, Kung-Fury realized that Zero had disappeared before his eyes.

Kung-Fury looked around, his senses sharp. Boom! Boom! Boom! The thick pillars supporting the building were destroyed one by one. Kung-Fury felt the building begin to shake and slowly collapse, and he desperately tried to get out of the force shield. However, it only rolled like a hamster ball according to Kung-Fury’s movements, and it could not stop the collapse. No, it would keep him safe.

Instead of defeating Kung-Fury here, Nin-Zero decided to show him.

The sacrifices he will make by carrying out his hypocrisy.

“Shit!”

“Hoohoohahaha! Feel your helplessness! Kung-Fury!!”

In a short moment, Nin-Zero returned after destroying an entire floor of pillars and grinned evilly as he watched Kung-Fury desperately struggling to escape the force field. Now, he was safely contained within the force shield, and could only watch countless people die.

But that was only Zero’s idea.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kung-Fury decided to take the best course of action he could.

‘There’s nothing I can do about this.’

And the hero picked up a piece of glass that had fallen on the floor and forcefully cut his own neck with it.

“what······?!”

As he looked at Nin-Zero’s face, who could not help but be shocked for a moment, Kung-Fury’s consciousness disappeared as if it was being sucked into the gap between the collapsing buildings.

“······ah.”

After reading up to that point, I have come to a firm conclusion in my mind.

“James Wan should make this. Seriously.”

I thought I just had to wait 20 years.