The first trailer for The Lord of the Rings was a huge success.
The next day, the newspapers were filled with coverage.
Of course, there was also Warner Bros. PR to thank.
"The Middle-earth world in the film is truly breathtaking; this will change the way fantasy films are made." — Entertainment Weekly
"Unbelievable, Peter Jackson has brought the magical world of the book to life, and I am in awe." — Los Angeles Times
"Unparalleled special effects, perfectly recreating Tolkien's world, Peter Jackson has done it." — Chicago Sun-Times
Clearly, the trailer's release achieved the expected effect.
Almost all the media outlets provided positive reviews.
"Breathtaking," "Unparalleled," "Full of sincerity," "Unbelievable"—these words appeared constantly in reports across the media.
Meanwhile, television, cinema trailers, and of course, the internet, began to broadcast the trailer on a large scale.
Anyone who saw it couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the grandeur of Middle-earth depicted in the trailer.
Massive discussions began to sweep across America.
Without a doubt, The Lord of the Rings had become the new focal point.
However, unlike the media, the focus of the online discussions wasn't on the large-scale Middle-earth world created by computer effects, but on—
"Oh my God, when I saw Martin riding the white horse on the mountaintop, my heart was struck! At that moment, I think I just came out of the closet! Yes, I'm a guy, but I've fallen in love with him!"
"Legolas, Legolas, Legolas... after watching this trailer, all I can think about is this name, all I can see is that breathtaking figure!"
"Martin is an elf, I'm sure of it. How else could he embody the essence of an elf so... perfectly? I may have never seen a real elf, but I am certain Martin is an elf!!!"
"Oh my God, Martin is too handsome. From now on, he will replace Leonardo as my number one beauty!"
"After watching the trailer, I just want to yell at the director, why the hell can't you give Legolas more screen time?!"
"Agreed! Director is so annoying, we want to see Legolas, we want to see the Elf Prince, not the Hobbits!"
In the original timeline, Legolas, often referred to as the "first vase" of film history, finally flourished under Martin's superior portrayal, shining brighter than ever.
This brilliance overshadowed the rest of the main characters.
It was a one-man show.
In the original timeline, Orlando Bloom, who played the character, became a global sensation with just this supporting role and quickly rose to become a top-tier star.
Clearly, the role was a standout.
And Martin, who did even better than him, naturally shone even brighter.
Online discussions about him and Legolas's stunning beauty were everywhere. Any post involving "Martin," "Legolas," or "Elf Prince" immediately went viral!
At Warner Bros. promotional department:
"Karter, come look at this data, my god, I've never seen numbers like these."
Karter walked over to the computer.
He was the head of the The Lord of the Rings movie promotional team, 36 years old, full of energy, and had previously planned many successful movie promotions.
But right now, he was staring wide-eyed and mouth agape, looking like a newcomer.
"The discussion about Legolas has actually surpassed the total number of all other actors combined."
By "all other actors," they meant not just the Lord of the Rings cast, but all Hollywood actors in general.
"This is insane!" said the staff member, "Posts about Martin and Legolas are topping the charts on almost every forum."
The staff member opened a post titled "Peter Jackson, we want to see Legolas." The replies had surpassed ten million and were still growing.
"In just three days, this post has climbed to the top of all trending posts."
"All the comments are asking for Jackson to give Martin more scenes."
"I'll contact Peter Jackson immediately. We can release the second trailer ahead of schedule."
Peter Jackson had anticipated that Legolas would be popular.
But he never imagined it would become this big.
Legolas, who only appeared in three scenes in the trailer, had become a nationwide sensation.
Although Martin was already a global idol, this was different. A "fictional character" had become a national idol.
So, even though Peter Jackson was being criticized online, he was still excited. This meant his marketing strategy had worked, and it was a good sign that the movie might be a success.
At the office of Jeff Raymond at CAA:
The now big-time agent was also staring in shock at the online data.
"Martin, I remember you were determined to play this role, not Frodo or Aragorn, did you predict this result?"
Even though Peter Jackson had added more scenes for Legolas, due to the need to preserve the storyline, Legolas's screen time still didn't surpass that of Frodo or Aragorn.
But Martin wasn't worried at all, because when it came to standout characters, none of them could compare to Legolas.
In the original timeline, apart from making Peter Jackson a top-tier director, the Lord of the Rings trilogy had only catapulted Orlando Bloom to stardom.
Martin smiled and said, "Well, Frodo is the absolute protagonist in the Lord of the Rings series, but it's actually an ensemble film. Frodo's scenes are more because his character runs through the entire plot, but as for standout moments..."
"This character really doesn't have many standout moments!"
"In this kind of fantasy action ensemble film, for a character to stand out, they either need to have exciting fight scenes, a heroic death, a striking appearance, or memorable dialogue... Frodo doesn't really have any of those."
"I guess, by the end of the trilogy, his impact may not even be as strong as Gandalf or Aragorn's."
"As for my portrayal of Legolas, I tick two of those boxes—exciting fights and striking appearance, so it's no surprise that I stood out among all the characters."
Jeff Raymond nodded thoughtfully.
He felt Martin was underselling it. It wasn't just exciting fights and striking appearance—it was exceptional fights and an unmatched look.
That's what made the heat around it explode to such an incredible level!
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
[TL/N: I'm homeless, tired, hungry, and have no money to support my cocaine hobby. Please support me on .]