Regulus Black continued flipping through the materials, while Guillermo del Toro was already enjoying his third serving of lamb chops.
Jennifer Connelly, born December 12, 1970, in Catskill, New York, is an American actress. In 1979, she made her acting debut with a cameo appearance in the British TV series Tales of the Unexpected. She officially entered the film industry with Once Upon a Time in America in 1984, followed by Phenomena in 1985. She is fluent in both Italian and French.
Yes, she was the one—Jennifer Connelly, who had already acted in two films, should be perfectly suited to play the role of elder sister Lucille Sharpe.
Regulus Black patiently waited for Guillermo del Toro to finish eating, then pushed the three files over to him.
"These are the three candidates. I'll play the role of the doctor myself. You'll handle the rest. We have the entire summer."
Regulus Black raised his glass, and Guillermo del Toro raised his in return. The two clinked glasses and drank in perfect harmony.
The next day, Regulus Black got in touch with Quint to learn about Ron Weasley's schedule and then chatted with Ron for a while.
According to Quint's plan, Ron Weasley would face off against a professional chess player every day. If Ron could maintain a winning streak throughout the summer, he would qualify for international tournaments during the winter break.
A 12-year-old chess prodigy and a collateral descendant of nobility—these would become Ron Weasley's hallmarks.
The publicity campaign was already planned and underway. Regulus Black used the £10,000 he had previously won, along with the original £10,000 stake, as operating capital for Ron's promotion during this period.
Staying in high-end hotels, savoring gourmet food, and wearing custom-made clothing—aside from his natural looks, Ron's appearance was now flawless. Some tabloids had already begun tracking Mr. Ron Weasley's matches in full.
Of course, all of this required money. So in addition to managing Ron's activities, Quint also invested the funds by betting on Ron to win each match. As a result, the odds kept dropping lower and lower.
Meanwhile, Regulus Black and Guillermo del Toro were working together on the storyboards. Crimson Manor had now become the director's guest room and studio. All the equipment had arrived, but the external filming crew would need another day to get there.
Fortunately, the head of the props team had already arrived at the manor, accompanied by members of the special effects company.
"Let me introduce you. This is my former colleague, David Robinson. He's in charge of managing both the equipment and props."
David Robinson was a man who shared his name with the famous statue of David. With a very muscular physique, he looked more like a fitness celebrity than someone working behind the scenes with props.
"This is Connelly White, in charge of special effects for this film. We need him to be involved from the very beginning so he can coordinate the special effects plan as we go."
He was a refined-looking man with glasses—and if the feeling was right, he might be gay.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Regulus Black, the investor for this project. I'll also be playing a supporting role in the film."
Regulus Black shook hands naturally with both of them, showing no awkwardness despite one being a muscle-bound man and the other potentially gay.
As expected, the muscular guy had a firm grip, while the gay man's hand was soft.
"This is my manor. The plan is to demolish it eventually, so I'd like to make good use of it before then. The strong Gothic style here is perfect for filming ghost stories, thrillers, horror films, or even art films."
Regulus Black led the group upstairs.
"The house is already quite old, so please be careful while filming. If anything needs to be torn down during the shoot, feel free!"
His words drew a round of laughter from the people behind him.
After all, shooting in an old house is not as convenient as filming in a studio. With built sets, you can do whatever you want, but if you accidentally damage someone else's property, it could lead to legal liability—and that would definitely drive up the production costs.
The issue this time, however, is that the investor, producer, and owner of the biggest prop—the mansion itself—are all the same person: Regulus Black. As long as he gives the word, even if the entire house is burned down, there won't be any problem. Of course, that's assuming he signs the necessary legal documents in advance.
Gothic architectural elements are visible in every detail—the roof, pillars, corridors, and stairs all reflect the style. Behind the hall's fireplace is an elevator that can access three floors and the basement, though it's now completely rusted and unusable.
"Oh right! The movie requires an elevator scene. But since this one is so old and broken, we need to decide whether to repair it or just do a basic modification to make it work for filming. That's something the VFX and props teams will need to discuss. After all, we're dismantling the house anyway, so fully repairing the elevator would be unnecessary."
Regulus Black tapped the elevator with his cane, and a shower of rust fell off.
In fact, a single spell—Reparo—could restore the elevator to its original condition from the day it was installed.
But then again, if everything else in the movie looks old and this one elevator appears brand new, that would be quite jarring.
Yet the moment he said it, Regulus Black felt like he was contradicting himself. Isn't that what the VFX and props teams are for? They can make a new elevator look old! Seriously, what was he thinking?
"Alright, forget the elevator for now. Let's check out the rooms. The house has three floors and a basement. On the second floor, the east, south, and west wings each have two bedrooms. In the center of the north side, there's a small library. Moving up to the third floor, the layout is similar—two bedrooms on the east, south, and west—but the north center has a studio space filled with miscellaneous household items."
Regulus Black was standing at the entrance of the library on the second floor, where the door was open, revealing walls lined with books.
"Everything here—and I mean everything—can be used as props. However! Nothing must go missing. That's very important. We're dismantling the house, but these vintage items must be preserved as future decor."
Regulus Black's demand was perfectly reasonable. After all, everything here was his personal property. As long as proper records were maintained, it was fine. Clearly, the props team understood that Regulus Black was using this film production as an opportunity to catalog and organize his possessions.
David Robinson sighed. The workload was already considerable from the start. Connolly and White exchanged sympathetic glances with him.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get to work. You three handle the inventory for the third floor, you three take care of the second floor, and I'll lead the rest to check the entire mansion. We need to compile a detailed inventory and highlight all the props required for filming. Also, someone go check the elevator. Let's move!"
David Robinson's assistant quickly handed a document to Regulus Black. It outlined the task of cataloging all items and required Regulus Black's signature—naturally, this service would come at a cost.
Regulus Black glanced over it once and signed his name at the end, greatly relieving David Robinson.
After all, they were hired as the props team. Even if Regulus Black hadn't signed the document, they'd still have to do the inventory. But that would've meant more work without any extra pay, which wouldn't exactly motivate the team.
Now that Regulus Black had signed, the task became an official side job, meaning they'd receive additional compensation. David Robinson immediately distributed the documents and personally instructed his team across the mansion.
"Be extra careful! Don't break anything. And pack away anything we won't be using right away."
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