The renewed collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Gilbert, with DiCaprio once again as the lead, naturally thrilled fans on both sides.
It's often said that DiCaprio and Gilbert are close friends, the kind who've had each other's backs in the past. Yet, despite being "good brothers," they had never truly collaborated professionally.
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise had already worked with Gilbert on four films, while DiCaprio was still stuck back in Saving Private Ryan thirteen years ago.
Dedicated Gilbert fans began speculating about the film's content, based on the title and the sketch Gilbert had drawn.
However, it was somewhat difficult. Inception is the English title of the film. Inception can mean beginning, start, foundation, or even implantation.
Based on the thematic hints provided by Leonardo DiCaprio, some fans analyzed that Gilbert's new film was about Leonardo DiCaprio using technology to build houses.
Scarlett found this speculation hilarious.
She knew exactly what Inception was about. When the script was given to DiCaprio, he couldn't understand it and kept pestering Gilbert with questions every day.
After Gilbert explained it roughly, DiCaprio finally understood and exclaimed that Gilbert was a genius.
Scarlett, however, remained unshaken—not because she didn't think Gilbert was a genius, but because she was already used to it.
As she told her friends, she had grown up on Gilbert's sets, witnessing firsthand his rise from a promising director to a world-class filmmaker.
Although Hollywood had many admirers chasing her, Scarlett only had eyes for Gilbert, leaving no room for anyone else.
The feeling of growing up together, side by side, was irreplaceable by anyone else.
For this script of Inception, Scarlett was very fond of it and begged Gilbert to let her play a role.
"How about letting me play Ariadne?" Scarlett asked, holding onto Gilbert's arm expectantly.
Gilbert replied, "I plan to invite Ellen Page to play her. Are you trying to take this role?"
Scarlett pouted. "I really like this script. The story is great—how about letting me act in it?"
A woman acting coquettish was hard for Gilbert to resist. He had no choice but to say, "All right, you'll need to audition. If you pass, I'll agree."
"No problem, I knew you loved me the most."
Scarlett was delighted—an audition was enough; she couldn't ask for more.
As for who was better, Ellen Page or Scarlett, it was hard to say. Ellen had performed excellently in Juno, but Scarlett had also improved significantly in recent years.
Emotionally, Gilbert leaned more toward Scarlett, but practically speaking, the proven Ellen Page was the safer choice.
Of course, if Scarlett performed well in the audition, Gilbert had no reason to block her from taking the role.
Although it was still early, some pre-production work could already start. Gilbert didn't plan to make major changes to the cast; Director Nolan had a good eye for selecting actors.
Even for the controversial Tenet, Gilbert thought the Black lead, aside from resembling James Harden, wasn't problematic.
Speaking of James Harden, attention must be given to Gilbert's sports ventures.
In the Premier League, Arsenal had become impressively affluent since Gilbert took over. Under Professor Wenger, the club spent lavishly in the transfer market to maintain competitiveness.
Since Gilbert assumed ownership, Arsenal had won three league titles, two FA Cups, and two Champions League trophies.
During the 2008–2009 season, Arsenal achieved success across all competitions—reaching the Champions League semifinals, finishing second in the league, and winning the FA Cup again.
With Professor Wenger managing the team, Gilbert mainly focused on club operations and financial oversight, needing little involvement otherwise.
As an owner, he was essentially hands-off, far more relaxed than Abramovich running Chelsea.
Compared to football, Gilbert's basketball ventures were less fortunate.
The Seattle Thunder had failed to reach the playoffs for several seasons, though the team was developing promising young talent. Last year's draft saw them select Russell Westbrook.
The young man had eccentric tastes, but outstanding physical talent. With Derrick Rose unavailable, he was still the best choice, despite resembling a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
In the first round, at the 24th pick, the team also selected Serge Ibaka, rounding out the Thunder's young core—just one James Harden away from completion.
This season, the team still couldn't make the playoffs, focusing mainly on developing young players.
The team's performance hadn't improved much either, making them strong contenders for the top draft pick.
Currently, the scouting department was evaluating college players, and the team's general manager was very high on James Harden from the University of Arizona.
However, when Gilbert suggested they check out the baby-faced player from Davidson College, Stephen Curry, the scouting department was puzzled but followed orders.
After some time, the scouts generally concluded that James Harden was far superior to Stephen Curry.
Whether in terms of physical talent or skills, Curry, who mainly shot three-pointers, seemed to fall short compared to Harden.
But Gilbert didn't agree. He had already instructed the team that if the draft pick fell within the top five, they were to select Stephen Curry to realize the Duru-Ku combination early.
It was true that Curry and Russell Westbrook had overlapping positions.
Yet in the future development of basketball, the responsibilities of guards were increasingly overlapping. Even James Harden, originally a shooting guard, took on point guard duties.
As a point guard, Stephen Curry's scoring ability was just as strong as players in other positions.
In Gilbert's mind, he envisioned Russell Westbrook driving with the ball while Curry and Durant fired from the perimeter.
Both players could perform efficiently without heavy ball possession, making them largely compatible with Westbrook.
All three also had some ball-handling and scoring ability, and with a strong defensive presence, spacing, driving, and rotational defense strategies were all in place.
If they played what's known as the "death small five," Westbrook could even play center.
Of course, how to coach this setup was up to the coach.
It was a pity Harden wasn't in 2008; otherwise, replacing Westbrook with Harden would have made the lineup nearly invincible.
Although it wasn't clear why Gilbert favored Curry, as the team owner, the scouts followed his instructions.
By May, the NBA playoffs were in full swing, and the Seattle Thunder once again missed the postseason.
Still, the team was brimming with talent and potential.
This season, the NBA aimed to set up a 23 vs. 24 showdown. For 24, it looked easy, but 23 might face some challenges.
If winning the championship seemed impossible, the class of '23 might have to make a significant decision and start forming super teams.
Gilbert personally held no strong bias against LeBron James. Truly. But for LeBron to win another championship, he would likely need to work hard for it.
As a Los Angeles local celebrity, Gilbert attended the Lakers' first playoff game at the Staples Center.
After the game, he also met Kobe Bryant for a photo together.
...
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