Chapter 225: Stealing the Spotlight

'Invite me to take over as director for Titanic?' Hearing this, Duke froze for a moment before turning to look at Thomas Rothman. The Fox CEO wore a solemn expression. He clearly wasn't joking—no one would joke about something like this. Furthermore, the implication in his words was that this wasn't an impulsive decision, but the result of formal discussions between the investors, Fox and Paramount.

'Me, step in as the bag holder?'

It was true that Hollywood kept spinning no matter who was missing, but the big ship had been operating under James Cameron's control for nearly two years. How difficult would it actually be for someone else to rashly take over?

Setting everything else aside, how long would it take to smooth over the complicated personnel conflicts that would inevitably erupt within the crew after a director swap? Would James Cameron peacefully hand over the reins? The key departments on set were all staffed by his team members—would those people need to be replaced? If they were, how long would it take for the newcomers to get up to speed? And if they weren't, oh... things in Rosarito would get very interesting...

Swapping directors when a production had just started prepping was nothing strange, but after such a long prep period, the risk of replacing the director was too great. A newly appointed director simply wouldn't have enough time to prepare. In Duke's eyes, taking over a project like this was harder than starting a similarly sized production from scratch.

Becoming the bag holder wasn't as simple as just taking over the project, continuing prep work, and smoothly rolling the cameras!

"Thomas, I have a few questions." Duke didn't refuse outright. "James Cameron demanding additional investment is enough to put Fox in a tough spot, so I imagine it's not a small number?"

Thomas Rothman nodded with a grim expression.

Duke continued, "Everyone in Hollywood knows Cameron's style. He likes grand spectacles, and I like grand spectacles. Even though I don't know the specific details of the project, have you considered that even if I take over as director, I might also require a large additional investment?"

"But in your past films," Thomas Rothman clearly held a different view, "you've always maximized the efficiency of your funds to produce outstanding spectacles, and they've all been successful!"

"You're overlooking one thing." Duke pointed to his own forehead. "My past projects emerged after a long time spent thinking in here. Faced with a completely unfamiliar project, how much money do you think I could save?"

He shook his head. "So, Thomas, I don't think I'm suited to take over."

Seeing Duke's resolute expression, Thomas Rothman realized that this would be extremely difficult. He thought it over for a moment before saying, "What about the other proposal? Fox delaying the payment of a portion of your profit share?"

Duke didn't answer. He put on a thoughtful expression, appearing extremely conflicted.

"Can I know how big the funding gap for the project is?" Duke asked.

This project, which even the banks refused to issue loans for, had already forced Fox into a corner where they could neither advance nor retreat. Even though they were pressuring James Cameron, the massive investment had to be recouped somehow, even if they had to force the tyrant of the set to jump into the sea and kill himself.

Thomas Rothman hesitated only briefly before answering. "Cameron is demanding an additional thirty million dollars! You should know his style—that number is guaranteed to increase. Without another fifty million dollars, Titanic absolutely will not be finished!"

"How much is the total investment so far?" Duke asked again.

"Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount have invested a combined total of 150 million dollars!"

Hearing the number Thomas Rothman stated, Duke gradually came to a decision. "Thomas, my profit share from Saving Private Ryan can temporarily stay with Fox."

The expression on Thomas Rothman's face relaxed slightly, and then he asked, "Tell me, Duke. What are your terms?"

"Don't you want to inject these funds into Titanic?"

Seeing Thomas Rothman nod, Duke slowly tapped the armrest of the sofa and chuckled. "This will serve as Duke Studio's investment in Titanic. What do you think?"

'He wants to invest in Titanic?' Thomas Rothman frowned. Fox lacking capital was one thing, but allowing outside money to meddle in their joint venture with Paramount was something else entirely.

This would involve all sorts of complications. Duke knew this perfectly well, and he didn't expect Thomas Rothman to give him an immediate answer. Furthermore, without Paramount Pictures present, the Fox CEO didn't have that much authority.

"Thomas, it's just a suggestion."

Duke still had some memory of the financial difficulties Titanic had faced in the past. Combined with what Thomas Rothman had said, that scenario was undoubtedly playing out right now. "I'm sure you know James Cameron's appetite better than I do, and I think replacing him would be the worst possible choice. If Duke Studio can join in, I can cover your funding shortfall."

"I can't give you an answer." Thomas Rothman thought for a long while before adding, "This requires Fox and Paramount Pictures to negotiate a resolution."

Duke was merely leaving the door open for himself to get involved in the project. Furthermore, an investment was absolutely not as simple as just saying the words. Who knew what kind of changes might have occurred on the Rosarito set? He needed to confirm a few details before he truly sat down for deep talks with Fox and Paramount.

When the weekend arrived, Duke made an appointment with Leonardo DiCaprio. Using the excuse of accompanying his leading man on a set visit, he flew specifically to Rosarito in Baja California, where he witnessed the crazy crew and the 1:1 scale Titanic model ship towering in a massive artificial lake with his own eyes. He also learned from Leonardo that the female lead was an English actress named Kate Winslet, who had earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the previous Oscars for Sense and Sensibility.

Duke had vague impressions of the main cast and crew, not to mention James Cameron—the man who had nearly forced Fox into selling their asses, and who was in turn driven to the brink of suicide by Fox.

This information was enough for him to make some judgments. Although the future was unpredictable, every investment carried risks, and a hundred-percent guaranteed return didn't exist. After returning to Los Angeles from Baja California, Duke made his decision.

Nancy Josephson was once again pushed to the front lines of the negotiations, making frequent contact with Fox and Paramount. Unlike Fox's hesitation, Paramount Pictures readily expressed their support for Duke's investment. In truth, this project—which had dragged on for nearly two years and still had no known start date for filming—had long since morphed into a massive money sink in Paramount's eyes. They were dying for a bag holder to appear to change their current situation of being unable to advance or retreat.

Duke had also done enough investigation to understand that the situation matched the rumors he had seen in his previous life. It had been nearly two years since the project was greenlit, and from the media to Hollywood insiders to the studios themselves, no one was optimistic about James Cameron's project anymore. Cynical mockery constantly appeared; some reporters and film critics had even carved out dedicated sections in their weekly columns just to ridicule James Cameron and his Titanic.

At the same time, Duke learned about the massive difficulties Fox was facing. Because the project's expected profitability and credibility index were continuously dropping, all of Fox's contact with banks and film funds had ended in failure. After all, Titanic had already burned through nearly 150 million dollars, and let alone transitioning to post-production, they weren't even sure of a specific time to start filming. No one knew when it would be finished, or even if it could be finished.

Putting everything else aside, even the third-party America International Assurance Company acting as the film's completion guarantor was scurrying all over Wall Street, wanting to unload their completion bond agreement or find a bag holder to share the risk with them.

In other words, Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron were both standing at their respective turning points.

This was a very suitable entry point. After surviving this difficult phase, Twentieth Century Fox might just grit their teeth and endure until the end.

Because Paramount Pictures wanted to escape this financial black hole, Nancy quickly reached a consensus with them. Over the following half-month, they began drawn-out negotiations with Twentieth Century Fox. Even James Cameron, who was severely strapped for cash, rushed back to Los Angeles from Baja California for three-way talks.

The voices inside Fox were not unified. The faction led by Thomas Rothman believed they shouldn't casually let Duke Studio get involved in Titanic, while the faction led by the financial director, facing immense financial pressure, was actively hunting for outside capital to prevent Fox from collapsing due to a ruptured funding chain.

As for James Cameron, as long as there was money to let him finish this maritime epic, he didn't care where the funds came from.

The negotiations dragged on until mid-July. Due to repeated setbacks in raising capital elsewhere, Twentieth Century Fox finally decided to accept the funds from Duke Studio—which, in reality, was just his profit share still sitting in Fox's accounts. At the same time, upon the conclusion of the joint negotiations between Cameron, Paramount, Fox, and Duke Studio, the parties signed a formal agreement. Duke Studio officially injected fifty million dollars into Titanic, driving the project's production budget to an unprecedented 200 million dollars!

According to the agreement, since Duke Studio accounted for a quarter of the investment, they would naturally enjoy a proportional twenty-five percent cut of the film's revenue, including the North American box office, overseas box office, and all merchandise. However, they would not own any of the film's copyrights.

Compared to investing two years ago, the capital lock-up period was now much shorter, making it a relatively better bargain. Most importantly, Duke wasn't nearly as short on cash as he had been two years ago.

Although investment inherently meant risk, and like any other small company, they couldn't get the film's copyrights from the hands of the studio giants, Duke was still quite satisfied with this agreement. If the film truly followed its historical trajectory, how much would a quarter of the profits be? It was about much more than just the box office!

At the same time, Duke also agreed to let Fox delay paying the remainder of his profit share to alleviate their financial pressure, making Fox owe him a favor.

Having secured the investment for Titanic, Duke shifted all his energy back to the filming of Chicago. The cameras had been rolling since early April, lasting for over three months by now. This was the longest and most difficult shoot Duke had ever experienced in his film career. After the entire crew had suffered through over a hundred days, the shoot was finally drawing to a close.