Chapter 356: Flaming Red Lips

On the first day of the year 2000, Warner Brothers and Duke Studio convened a massive press conference at the Hilton Grand Hotel in Sydney, announcing that the sequels to The Matrix had officially entered pre-production. The two films, titled Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, would be shot back-to-back.

Although the director had changed, the name Zack Snyder was no stranger to Matrix fans. He had been credited as an assistant director and executive producer on the first film. Any moviegoer familiar with Duke knew Snyder was his most important right-hand man.

To the average fan, Duke returning to direct was what they wanted to see most. But if a change was necessary, Zack Snyder was undeniably the best alternative.

The media, however, saw it differently. Chasing sensationalism, most outlets badmouthed the sequels, with some even claiming that Zack Snyder would completely ruin this milestone of sci-fi cinema.

A combined production budget of $250 million for the two films also placed Zack Snyder under immense pressure.

"Now I finally understand why you suffer from insomnia."

Walking along a small path at Fox Studios, Zack Snyder looked noticeably more haggard. He spoke to Duke as they headed toward the soundstage. "The pressure a director faces during a production is just too immense. This invisible weight is practically everywhere. I've been staying awake all night lately."

"You'll get used to it."

Patting Zack Snyder on the shoulder, Duke walked into the massive soundstage. "If you can't get used to working under immense pressure, it's very hard to find success in this industry."

He cast his gaze into the distance. "Zack, once you achieve a string of successes, you'll find that this massive pressure might actually be the very thing driving you forward."

"I'm not quite as philosophical about it as you yet," Zack Snyder said with a smile.

The two walked all the way to the very back of the soundstage, stopping at the edge of a training area. Just like before the first film, the entire cast had gathered in Sydney once again to undergo hellish, intense training.

Inside the training ground, the lead actors looked far more relaxed than they had a few years ago. Most of the original cast had returned for the two sequels.

Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, and Duke's King Elrond, Hugo Weaving, were completing some basic stretches with the help of several assistants.

There were some changes, of course. For instance, the person standing in the action choreographer's spot was no longer Yuen Woo-ping.

Following the massive success of the first film, Yuen Woo-ping had instantly become the most sought-after action choreographer in Hollywood. Once the sequels were greenlit, he had the leverage to start making exorbitant demands, directly asking for a combined $8 million for both films—and refusing to budge a single cent.

He certainly had the clout to do so. The back-to-back successes of The Matrix and Rush Hour had injected fresh vitality into Hollywood's stale action scenes. Judging from the reception of both films, Western audiences found these dazzling fights extremely novel and thrilling.

Kung fu was gradually becoming a buzzword in the North American film industry, and it presented a problem that Hollywood could not immediately solve on its own.

Yuen Woo-ping was undoubtedly an extremely rare resource, and thus had the leverage to demand an astronomical price.

But Duke, Warner Brothers, and Zack Snyder had no desire to pay such a steep cost. For one, the actors' salaries for the sequels were already sky-high; for another, the crew had a suitable replacement.

Ever since filming The Matrix, Duke had instructed Jimmy Carter and Robin Grande to keep in touch with Tiger Chen. He was a very ambitious young man with a lot of ideas. His repertoire wasn't limited to just kung fu, but also incorporated various other close-quarters combat techniques, which aligned much better with the future trends of Hollywood.

For only a third of Yuen Woo-ping's asking price, Warner Brothers secured Tiger Chen and several of his fellow martial brothers.

Correspondingly, the fights in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions would undergo appropriate tweaks. Kung fu was a foreign product, after all. Following the success of The Matrix, quite a few kung fu-related films had entered production—such as Charlie's Angels, backed by Drew Barrymore. It wouldn't take long for audiences to experience aesthetic fatigue.

Therefore, according to the plan Duke and Zack Snyder had agreed upon, the latter two films would maintain kung fu as a way to portray program conflicts, but they would cut back on the overly flashy and impractical moves. The action style would become cooler, sharper, and more direct.

Duke's reasoning was simple: kung fu's lifespan in North America would be extremely short. Since Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions would take quite a long time to finish and release, they had to showcase different action elements to avoid visual fatigue, gradually edging closer to the future style of Hollywood action.

Just like technological advancements, if an action choreographer stayed stuck in their ways, they would only be eliminated by the market.

These could be considered minor tweaks to Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions compared to their original incarnations. The plot, however, saw major overhauls. Similar to his approach when producing the first film, Duke unhesitatingly stripped away all the overly esoteric mumbo-jumbo. The original Matrix Reloaded had been a massive box office success, but its deep philosophical musings and pretentious mysteries had severely compressed the market potential for Matrix Revolutions.

Why did audiences buy into this franchise? Was it really because the films provided philosophical food for thought, like the critics claimed?

Duke and Zack Snyder knew exactly why the movies were so wildly popular.

"Hey, Duke."

As the training session ended, Keanu Reeves was the first to walk over. He took a towel from his assistant, wiped the sweat off his hands, and shook Duke's hand. "We're working together again. It's truly a pleasure."

"It is, Keanu." Duke patted his arm. "Your training looks pretty effortless."

Keanu Reeves immediately laughed. "That's because the toughest part is already behind us."

He pointed to his martial arts uniform, which was practically soaked in sweat. "I'm going to go shower and change first. We can talk later."

Zack Snyder had arrived in Sydney last November. The fact that the crew had delayed the official green light until now was largely due to Keanu Reeves.

The current Keanu was a far cry from what he used to be. Although the role of Neo had earned him a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Actor, it didn't stop him from entering the ranks of top-tier male stars. He also held a certain amount of leverage in his negotiations with Warner Brothers and Duke Studio.

For commercial sequels in Hollywood, actor salaries were undoubtedly the biggest headache. Unless absolutely necessary, no production company would blindly recast a lead role and risk a massive backlash from audiences. This gave actors the leverage to demand higher pay. The soaring production budgets for a great deal of Hollywood sequels were, in reality, consumed by the actors' salaries.

Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions were no exception. The average budget for the two sequels was a staggering $125 million each. Apart from the necessary upgrades to the special effects, the actors' salaries were undeniably the heaviest expense. Among them, Keanu Reeves's pay had reached the pinnacle of Hollywood standards—an impressive $20 million per film!

On top of that, he secured a ten percent share of the net profits from the North American box office.

Additionally, the leading lady, Charlize Theron, commanded a top-tier A-list actress salary of $15 million!

There was no way around it. However, Duke and Warner Brothers were deliberately bumping up the base salaries to compress the actors' profit shares as much as possible.

The exorbitant commercial paychecks for A-list actors were simply unavoidable. Hollywood's A-list and super A-list stars were a scarce resource in the film industry, representing immense value in and of themselves. No one could underestimate their box-office draw and influence.

Just like Duke, Spielberg, other top-tier directors, and the major studios, these actors formed the highest echelon of Hollywood's structure. If they didn't, would the major Hollywood studios later allow top actors to share twenty-five percent—or even more—of a film's profits?

In truth, in this highly commercialized society, anyone who climbed to the top of their respective industry was a force to be reckoned with.

"Hugo, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."

After greeting the approaching King Elrond, Duke spotted Tiger Chen. Chen introduced an actor from Hong Kong who would be playing the Oracle's Guardian Angel.

Originally, Warner Brothers had wanted to invite Jet Li for the role, as he was famous in the West for his kung fu. The Guardian Angel didn't have much screen time, and Warner had offered a generous salary of $3 million per film. Unexpectedly, he demanded an astronomical $13 million!

What kind of price was that? Even many A-list actors made no more than that for commercial films. Unless the upper management at Warner Brothers and Duke Studio collectively had water in the brain, there was no way they would agree to such a quote.

Perhaps Jet Li and his agent were just making exorbitant demands expecting to negotiate down, but once that price was quoted, the production crew abandoned him without a second thought. Instead, through Tiger Chen, they found an actor surnamed Zou from Hong Kong, and it only cost them $200,000.

It was a choice that required no deliberation at all.

After greeting the actors, Duke prepared to leave. Having changed her clothes, Charlize Theron hurried over.

"Duke..." She practically jogged over to him. "Do you have time? It's been a while since we had dinner together."

"I'm sorry, Sally." Duke sighed, glancing at Zack Snyder who was waiting for him. "Zack, the Warner representatives, and I have a meeting with the sponsors. It'll have to wait until next time."

"What a shame." Charlize looked visibly disappointed.

After exchanging a few more words with her, Duke headed toward the soundstage exit. More than a dozen brand representatives were waiting for him. These people had paid $30 million in advertising sponsorships for a single film; Duke couldn't possibly stand them up.

After the meeting with the sponsors, he had to fly back to North America to attend a prep meeting for another production crew in Los Angeles. It was equally important and couldn't be delayed, because that new project was none other than—Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The boy wizard was about to launch!