Chapter 311: Approaching 500 Million

Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, even though Liam Neeson was the only cast member who would truly reach the A-list in the future, the rest could all be considered standout B-listers a decade down the line.

According to the script, the film was divided into three storylines. The two main threads followed police officers Michael and James, along with the robbers Larry Eugene Phillips and Emil Decebal Matasareanu. Liam Neeson, Don Cheadle, Jason Statham, and Gerard Butler would play these four men, respectively. Then came the subplot following the mother and daughter...

The actors playing this mother and daughter were no strangers to Duke. The actress cast as the daughter was named Ellen Page, though she was still so young he couldn't tell if she was the one from his memories.

Playing the thirty-year-old mother was a British actress who might achieve only average fame and status in Hollywood's future, yet would become incredibly famous in the East, much like a certain Asian pop diva: Kate Beckinsale.

Of course, Duke didn't find this casting particularly surprising. In fact, if you looked at certain Hollywood films, or even Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions, you could often spot a slew of familiar faces.

For instance, Duke remembered that when Natalie Portman was little, she had been an understudy for Britney Spears in a musical. She had finally waited out Britney's departure, only for Christina Ricci to come along and snatch the stage debut that should have been hers.

Hollywood stars, especially former child actors, probably couldn't even remember how many other celebrities they had crossed paths with before becoming famous.

Amid the flurry of work, more than half of September slipped by. After finalizing the cast for Daylight, Duke mandated that all the main actors stay in Wellington to prepare and conduct early rehearsals. Liam Neeson, Don Cheadle, Jason Statham, Gerard Butler, and the rest were also required to undergo a series of firearms and tactical training.

Compared to the neighboring The Lord of the Rings production and the recently finished The Matrix, the training Liam Neeson and his co-stars received was much simpler.

They only went through basic instruction in firearms handling, shooting, and police terminology. Even Liam Neeson, the oldest among them, didn't find the training strenuous.

"Compared to the training, I'm having more of a headache with the dramatic scenes."

Standing beside Duke on the edge of the soundstage as they watched the two actors playing the fierce robbers learn to handle AK rifles, Liam Neeson said, "The dramatic scenes where I interact with my daughter feel much harder to me."

Duke pulled his gaze away from Jason Statham and Gerard Butler, looking curiously at the veteran actor beside him, who stood a good head taller than he did.

"A highly capable police officer who has a rebellious daughter in desperate need of kicking a drug habit."

Recalling the character's background from the script, Liam Neeson spread his hands and said, "The relationship between father and daughter is incredibly strained and could shatter at any moment. That kind of experience is definitely a bit unique."

"Liam, in Hollywood, behind every successful hero..."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Duke turned his gaze back to the training area on the soundstage. "...there is always a failed family."

Liam Neeson was an old hand in Hollywood. He said knowingly, "And then the hero uses his actions to save both his career and his family, reclaiming their bond."

"Exactly." Duke laughed. "There is one emotion that resonates with everyone—family and kinship."

After a few more words, Liam Neeson checked his watch and took his leave. "I made an appointment with a father whose daughter has a history of drug addiction. Maybe he can give me some insight."

Duke gave him an approving nod.

Outsiders only ever saw the glamorous, hedonistic side of Hollywood stars, but how many knew the effort they poured in behind the scenes?

Setting aside famously dedicated actors like Liam Neeson, even Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was playing his daughter, had used the production's connections after receiving her script to frequently visit a drug rehab facility in the Wellington suburbs, just to interact with the young women there.

When afternoon arrived, Duke also left the soundstage. Taking John Schwartzman, Hannah Serena, and production manager Dario Moran with him, he headed to several exterior locations in Wellington's western suburbs to conduct field scouting for the upcoming shoot.

Because they were shooting in Wellington, several of the film's key locations would be built as open-air sets. The most critical of these was the sequence in front of Bank of America. For a few locations that were too difficult to construct, they would shoot on a green screen and replace the background during post-production.

With the advancement of CGI, the cost of green screen technology was steadily dropping. Aside from the gunfights, this film didn't have many sequences that required visual effects.

"John, when we shoot the exteriors..."

Standing on the curb where their cars were parked, Duke looked at the typical Western-style detached houses and the conspicuous Wellington street signs on either side. He turned to his cinematographer and said, "Try to stick to close-ups. Don't use wide panoramic shots. Our budget is limited."

"I understand." John Schwartzman nodded.

After scouting two residential neighborhoods and three main roads, Duke and the others left Wellington's western suburbs and headed back to the studio.

They had already visited a few times before, so this scouting trip completely finalized the exterior locations. Duke, John Schwartzman, and Hannah Serena exchanged their thoughts on the matter; for the areas that needed to be redressed in particular, Hannah Serena would alter her designs according to Duke's requirements.

Back at the lot, Duke hurried over to one of the soundstages for The Lord of the Rings to check on the actors' ongoing training progress.

At this stage, the ones participating in the training were mostly Viggo Mortensen, Sean Davis, Orlando Bloom, and the other members of the Fellowship, along with their stunt doubles. Their main subjects were horseback riding, physical conditioning, running, swordsmanship, and archery.

According to Duke's plan and the actual pace of pre-production, The Lord of the Rings trilogy wouldn't start filming until April or May of next year at the earliest. At present, most of the main cast and stunt performers had been finalized, but the rest wouldn't join the production until much closer to the start of the shoot.

Some actors still had other filming commitments. For example, Ian McKellen, who was playing Gandalf, had also taken on the role of Magneto in Twentieth Century Fox's X-Men.

Though he frequently communicated with these main actors, Duke had no intention of interrupting their training. Instead, he sought out Anna Printz, the assistant director in charge of this section.

"How's the search for the body doubles going?"

Hearing Duke's question, Anna Printz immediately replied, "Charles's assistant managed to contact four dwarf actors from a circus. Judging by the photos they sent over, they should meet the requirements for Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin."

Duke nodded and added, "Notify me the moment they arrive."

Forced perspective and various other techniques could achieve the height differences between actors on camera, but for certain scenes without clear close-ups, using actors with heights similar to a hobbit saved both time and effort.

After standing there for a while to watch the actors train, Duke had someone call over Jamie Carter, who was training Orlando Bloom in archery one-on-one.

Duke thought for a moment and said, "Jimmy, while keeping it within the bounds of realism, could we make some appropriate adjustments to his archery?"

"Adjustments?" Jamie Carter asked. "At this stage, Orlando is primarily practicing his stance and accuracy."

"Accuracy isn't important." Duke waved his hand. "The effect of the arrows will rely on editing and visual effects, and the props being used are all soft bows with no draw weight anyway. What I need is for Legolas's archery stance to be incredibly handsome. Every time he draws his bow, I want it to make every teenage girl in the theater scream."

"I understand," Jimmy Carter said confidently. "Don't worry, I'll redesign it."

As the sun set, the day's busy work came to an end. The overlapping demands of two films left Duke's head spinning a little. He walked to the small parking lot at the studio's entrance to get his car, started it up, and drove off the lot, heading toward his hotel.

The villa he had bought was still under renovation, so it would be a while before he could move in.

The hotel wasn't far from the studio—a ten-minute walk at most—and the surrounding area was a tourist district in Wellington with relatively good security. As Duke drove down the road, he could see quite a few crew members walking back to the hotel.

He hadn't driven far before he spotted a rather familiar silhouette up ahead.

It was an actress from the production. She was wearing a short white top, tight dark blue jeans, and black lace-up boots. Her long, curly brown hair cascaded down her back, fluttering occasionally in the wind.

She was tall and slender, her legs not only perfectly straight but also astonishingly long. Even from just her back, she was striking enough to outshine Wellington's brilliant late-September spring sunlight.

Duke slowed down. When the car slowly drew close, he honked the horn. The tall woman on the sidewalk immediately turned around and looked his way. Duke waved to her through the windshield, then stepped on the brakes, pulling the car to a stop just a short distance away.

"Hi, Kate."

The two of them had discussed her role over the past few days, so they were fairly well acquainted. Duke reached over and opened the passenger door. "Hop in. I'll give you a ride."

Kate Beckinsale hesitated for a moment, but seeing the earnest persistence on Duke's face, she gave a light nod and slipped into the car, taking the passenger seat.

As she buckled her seatbelt, she said, "Thank you, Director Rosenberg."

"Don't mention it." Duke restarted the car, gradually picking up speed. He threw a glance in her direction. "Just call me Duke."

Since they weren't far, the car pulled into the hotel parking lot just a few minutes later. The two of them walked into the hotel and stood waiting for the elevator. Duke asked tentatively, "Could I invite you to dinner?"