Chapter 254: Little Wizard

While Duke returned to Los Angeles to negotiate his new film project with Warner Brothers, another high-profile event shook Hollywood. Walt Disney had forcibly ousted Michael Ovitz, the once-imperious executive whom the gossip media had heavily hyped as the behind-the-scenes emperor of Hollywood.

The primary reason for his dismissal was simple: Michael Ovitz lacked the ability to manage a media conglomerate as massive as Walt Disney.

Before he could realize his ambitions, the former emperor of CAA suffered a crushing defeat in a complex personnel struggle, forcing his dismal exit from Disney.

Just like the rest of fiercely competitive Hollywood, the major studios were rife with complex infighting and compromises, fueled by brutal battles over sex, money, and power.

There was never a smooth path to the top.

The only detail that surprised Duke was a piece of news he received from Robert Iger. The board of directors, led by Michael Eisner, had another direct reason for firing Michael Ovitz: his terrible judgment. The project he had vetoed, Chicago, had become a massive global hit.

Taken at face value, without Chicago, Michael Ovitz might have kept his seat as Disney's CEO a little longer.

Duke, of course, was not naive enough to believe that. He understood the true core of the incident.

Michael Ovitz indeed lacked what it took to run a massive media conglomerate like Walt Disney. But when Michael Eisner chose his childhood friend for the role, he likely intended to install a mere puppet. How could a man like Ovitz, who had once wielded such immense power, ever settle for being a figurehead?

Power was a poison, a temptation far greater to a man than money or beautiful women.

In a struggle for power, it was entirely natural for childhood friends to turn against each other.

Their conflict had initially been contained to a certain extent, but Michael Eisner's surgery changed everything.

Early the previous year, Michael Eisner had undergone heart surgery. Following the operation, Michael Ovitz leveraged the trust of Eisner's wife—or perhaps other undisclosed means—to seize control of Eisner's hospital room. Aside from Ovitz and Eisner's wife, no one could see him. Let alone Disney executives, even Eisner's own lawyers were denied access...

Under Disney's corporate rules, Michael Eisner's authority naturally passed into Ovitz's hands. However, the good times did not last. Eisner recovered remarkably fast, and upon his return, the two men finally tore away all remaining pretenses.

Duke guessed that Chicago had merely been a small trap Eisner had set for Ovitz.

Having left Disney, Michael Ovitz also could not return to CAA, as he no longer held any shares. Duke actually wished he would go back. If he did, Martin Bob and Eno Martin would absolutely refuse to hand over their power, and CAA—already bleeding from internal power struggles—would surely put on an even more spectacular show.

Unfortunately, Eno Martin's existing and acquired shares remained limited, and he had still failed to oust Martin Bob.

Duke had not forgotten his potential—and practically acknowledged—enemy over there. Martin Bob was simply too distracted by Eno Martin at the moment. Duke firmly believed that, given the chance, Martin Bob would bite him as viciously as a coiled viper.

Moreover, the man had both the ability and the power to do exactly that.

Upon leaving Disney, Michael Ovitz walked away with a massive severance package. Combined with his already considerable wealth and deep network, he quickly established a new entertainment agency. Word had it that he had already convinced Sony Entertainment to let him help bring a terrifying monster to the silver screen.

While busy with his film work, Duke received good news from outside the movie industry. Riding the massive success of Pixar Studio, Steve Jobs had returned to Apple early that year.

That development finally put Duke's mind mostly at ease regarding his investments outside of Hollywood.

By late April, Warner Brothers pushed The Matrix through its preliminary review at the fastest speed its procedures allowed. The studio would fully participate in financing, distributing, and marketing the film.

At the same time, Duke and Robin Grande officially greenlit the project and established Hacker Studio. Using his Warner Brothers shares as collateral, Duke secured a $20 million bank loan. Adding another $20 million transferred directly from his own accounts, his total contribution of $40 million covered half of the overall production budget for The Matrix.

Twentieth Century Fox ultimately declined to invest. Their capital was incredibly tight, and two super-blockbusters—Speed 2 and Titanic—had already left them overwhelmed. The former was somewhat manageable since it would hit theaters at the start of the Summer Season, but the latter was an absolute "money pit"...

As a result, Warner Brothers not only picked up the remaining $40 million investment but also became the film's distributor in North America and overseas markets.

"Our competitor Fox has fallen behind!"

Just like with his other films, a celebratory party followed the project announcement press conference. Warner Brothers CEO Jeff Robinov looked utterly triumphant.

"Gentlemen, we have strapped the finest young director in Hollywood to Warner's war chariot!"

"I propose a toast to this."

One of Warner Brothers' executive vice presidents took the lead in raising his glass. Even though the star of the party was still outside handling the media, Warner's upper management cheerfully drank a toast together.

As the executives gradually dispersed, Robert Solomon suddenly sought out Jeff Robinov.

"Have you heard, Jeff?"

With a serious expression, he pulled Jeff Robinov into an empty corner.

"Duke secured the film rights to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Duke Studio is already preparing for the film adaptation. I heard Charles has even joined the project."

"I've caught wind of that as well," Jeff Robinov said, nodding seriously. "Duke and Charles went to Australia a while back. Aside from scouting Sydney, that trip was likely in preparation for this."

He understood what Robert Solomon was getting at.

"Robert, I already have a plan for this. I'll discuss it with Duke."

A sudden clamor arose at the entrance to the banquet hall as a crowd surged forward. Jeff Robinov merely glanced in that direction before plastering on his most enthusiastic smile and striding over to welcome the newcomer.

Duke Rosenberg was worth that kind of treatment from any film studio CEO, wasn't he?

With that thought in mind, Jeff Robinov pushed through the crowd. Upon spotting Duke, he threw his arms open and pulled him into a fierce hug, looking as wildly enthusiastic as if they were old friends reuniting after years apart.

As long as Duke continued to partner with Warner Brothers, Robinov would gladly do far more than just hug him—he would happily climb onto a table and tap dance just like Michael Ovitz.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jeff Robinov watched Duke mingle with the guests, feeling a profound wave of emotion. The ordinary young man who had once stood before him fighting for an opportunity had transformed into a superstar director from whom Robinov now had to secure opportunities for Warner. And how many years had it really been?

Duke's face was still young and resolute, only bearing a touch more maturity. His dark eyes remained brimming with unfailing confidence—exactly the same as the day Robinov had rejected his pitch for Speed, only to watch him walk out the door still burning with fighting spirit.

Only the confident, resolute, tenacious, hardworking, and genuinely talented could ever succeed in Hollywood. Wasn't this young director the ultimate embodiment of that? It seemed that from the very first day they met, Duke had never lacked the traits essential for success.

After making his rounds, Duke turned to find Jeff Robinov standing nearby, clearly waiting for him.

With an unspoken understanding, the two moved to a quiet corner, sat down across a table from each other, and cut straight to the chase.

"Duke, I hear you're preparing to adapt Tolkien's masterpiece?" Jeff Robinov asked.

"That's right."

Although the project was currently under wraps, the news would spread the moment pre-production ramped up. Duke had no intention of denying it.

"A trilogy. Shot and produced all at once."

"You're that confident?" Jeff Robinov frowned slightly. "Hollywood universally considers it the hardest work to adapt. Others have tried in the past, and every attempt has ended in failure. Shooting an entire trilogy at once is far too risky!"

"I wouldn't dare guarantee my success," Duke said with a smile. "But every director has to try something different now and then. We have to turn the impossible into the possible."

Jeff Robinov gave a heavy nod. Duke's past achievements were the strongest proof. At this time last year, how many people had believed he could successfully adapt Chicago? Who had thought his sudden shift in genre would pay off? Even Robinov himself had only agreed to distribute Chicago to secure a long-term relationship, fully prepared to stomach a loss.

And the result? The film had aggressively raked in $185.5 million at the North American box office. Its global box office stood at a staggering $325.75 million and was still climbing. By merely taking their cut of the box office and merchandise sales, Warner Brothers and Warner Records had already cleared $30 million in profit, a number that was still growing.

Duke Studio had pulled in an even more astonishing sum. They had just settled the overseas box office split, and Jeff Robinov remembered the figures vividly. Between the North American and overseas box office profits alone, Duke Studio had netted $45 million, plus nearly $20 million in merchandise profits. With both figures set to rise even further, it was a terrifyingly high return on investment.

Putting aside everything else, look at the newly greenlit The Matrix. If Twentieth Century Fox's cash flow had not been stretched near the breaking point, how could they possibly have walked away from the investment?

If anyone in Hollywood could successfully turn Tolkien's masterpiece into a film, Jeff Robinov firmly believed that person was Duke Rosenberg.

"Duke..."

Before Jeff Robinov could finish, Duke raised a hand to stop him.

"Jeff, Warner has consistently been my most supportive partner. I'm also a shareholder of Warner Brothers now. Whenever I need something, Warner is absolutely my first choice for a partnership. I can tell you unequivocally that Nancy will be reaching out soon to discuss the global distribution rights for The Lord of the Rings trilogy."

Having said that, Duke suddenly changed the subject.

"I think we can take our collaboration a step further and forge a project with the same terrifying profitability as Star Wars!"