Chapter 398: A Script Tailor-Made for Duke

Jessica Alba seemed to be struggling to say something. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

The cast was about to enter the screening room. This was the perfect moment to display their deep sisterly bond, so Michelle Rodriguez pulled her into a corner.

"Jessie, it's not a good idea to go in looking like this," she said with deep concern.

Shielded by Michelle Rodriguez's sturdy frame, Jessica Alba couldn't hold it in any longer. She reached a hand through the high slit of her gown and scratched vigorously. A look of relaxed relief spread across her sweet face, as if the problem plaguing her had been largely alleviated.

Michelle Rodriguez's eyes immediately lit up. Even if she were an idiot, she knew Jessica Alba wouldn't be stupid enough to pleasure herself right here. Besides, the girl loved to party and never lacked male companions.

"Could it be..."

Growing up in a chaotic Latin neighborhood, Michelle Rodriguez had seen similar situations with other women. A suspicion immediately formed in her mind.

Soon after, another thought popped into her head. If her guess was right, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to push Jessica Alba out and take her place?

However, Michelle Rodriguez didn't want to take too big a risk. After all, the other woman had been introduced by James Cameron.

She thought for a moment.

"Jessie, is something uncomfortable down there?" she asked with concern.

Jessica Alba was about to shake her head, but remembering how well Michelle Rodriguez had taken care of her, she slowly nodded.

"I don't know what's going on..." she said.

"Jessie, a woman can't ignore these kinds of problems," Michelle Rodriguez immediately urged. "It's best to go see a gynecologist."

"Well..." Jessica Alba hesitated.

Michelle Rodriguez offered a comforting smile. "I've run into similar issues before. I went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and they cleared it right up."

Their voices dropped lower and lower. As Michelle Rodriguez spoke, Jessica Alba kept nodding.

Finally, acting like the best of sisters, the two women walked closely together into the screening room. The Fast and the Furious premiered right then.

During the screening, Michelle Rodriguez made up a random excuse and slipped out. She went up to a second-floor lounge, pulled her Mobile Phone from her purse, and dialed a number.

"Amir, you want some explosive news? Keep an eye on Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the next few days..."

A smile crept onto Michelle Rodriguez's lips as she hung up the phone.

When the premiere ended, Jessica Alba became the focus of the media thanks to her eye-catching eye-candy role in the film. At the subsequent press conference, reporters continuously threw questions her way. The attention was completely beyond anything her television roles had ever brought her. She was beginning to taste fame and even saw the hope of becoming extremely popular in the future.

Although there was an after-party, Jessica obediently went home. As much as she loved to play, she knew her producer boyfriend was far more important.

Stepping into the apartment, she saw Christophe Rocancourt on the phone. She immediately walked over and grabbed his hand tightly.

"Did you miss me?" she asked.

Christophe Rocancourt answered her with physical action...

Despite another wave of stinging itchiness down below, Jessica Alba did not turn Christophe Rocancourt down.

When the sun rose, another weekend began, and Duke returned to Los Angeles. He had originally planned to stay in New York a little longer to see his mother after her return from Europe. However, she had suddenly changed her itinerary, flying straight from Paris to Dubai, and wouldn't be back anytime soon. So, he left New York early.

By the time he landed at Los Angeles International Airport, it was already Friday afternoon. He returned to Duke Manor and had only rested for a short while before Nancy Josephson came knocking.

"I have an offer right here," Nancy said. Her rushing over meant it had to be important. "You'd better take a look at it yourself."

What she handed Duke was a detailed project proposal, with a script attached as an appendix.

"Napoleon the Great?"

Although the name of the project was unfamiliar, Duke didn't find it strange. After all, there were countless Hollywood films he didn't know about. However, when he saw the production budget inside, his brow furrowed.

The preliminary production budget was 160 million dollars!

Had there ever been such a movie? Duke frowned and thought about it for a long time, but he had no recollection of it.

However, Duke knew he couldn't possibly know and remember everything about Hollywood, so he patiently flipped through the proposal and the script that followed.

The proposal was incredibly detailed; it was clearly the work of a top-tier industry producer. It even accounted for various difficulties they might face shooting on location in France and proposed preliminary solutions. Even a director like Duke, who had drafted plans for several massive projects, couldn't find much fault with it.

It was practically a flawless project proposal.

The script at the back was over two hundred pages long, but after reading it, Duke nodded unconsciously. The script didn't try to cover the entirety of Napoleon the Great's epic life. Instead, it isolated the final chapter of his time as emperor, centering around the Battle of Waterloo. It was packed with political scheming and sweeping battle scenes, perfectly matching his tastes and style.

Simply put, it wasn't a biopic—it was a classic blockbuster script.

In Hollywood, the script alone wasn't worth much. The key was the proposal paired with it, which drastically elevated its value.

Moreover, the script and the proposal seemed entirely tailor-made for him!

He got the feeling that whoever drafted the proposal and wrote the script had already decided to recruit him as the director before they even put pen to paper. Everything was calibrated to fit his unique style and appetite.

Every director had their own style—James Cameron had one, Steven Spielberg had one, and Duke was no exception. The person behind this project had clearly studied him extensively.

Even the proposals drafted by Charles Roven and Robin Grande were only about this good.

The more Duke read, the more tempted he felt. If Napoleon the Great hadn't been French, he would have already asked Nancy to contact the other party...

But he was a relatively level-headed person. He closed the proposal, thought for a moment, and waited for his emotions to settle. Only when he was sure it wouldn't cloud his business judgment did he finally speak.

"Who sent this?" he asked.

"A producer from France." Knowing Duke had no interest in European cinema or filmmakers, Nancy Josephson quickly explained, "Although he's French, he's actually been in Hollywood for ten years. He's good friends with a lot of major stars and producers, and word is he's invested in some smaller productions. You could consider him part of Hollywood."

"If I want this script, what are his conditions?" Duke asked, well aware there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"First, he wants it to be a co-production. His side must account for at least forty percent of the investment and revenue split..."

Hearing this, Duke nodded. It was a completely normal demand. If the other party didn't make exorbitant demands and instead obediently handed over the entire project for cheap, Duke would definitely suspect an underlying conspiracy.

"Second, he must be a producer. He has to be one of the most powerful people on the production."

"Is there more?"

These were standard Hollywood practices and far from crossing Duke's bottom line.

"There is." Nancy took a refilled coffee cup from the housekeeper, Emma, thanked her, and continued. "As a Frenchman, he wants the film to be shot on location in France and Belgium! He also knows your The Lord of the Rings trilogy isn't finished yet and is willing to wait until after Return of the King to start principal photography. But he wants to adopt the production model of The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, starting pre-production as early as possible."

"That's not an unreasonable request either," Duke replied.

Shooting an epic war film was extremely complicated, especially one featuring real historical figures. Taking over a year for pre-production was the safest approach.

"That's it for now. The specifics will have to be hashed out slowly during negotiations."

The other party was primarily testing the waters to see if Duke was interested. If he was, the subsequent negotiations would cover every clause and detail.

Setting the proposal and the script outline on the coffee table, Duke crossed one arm over his chest and stroked his chin with the other, carefully weighing the feasibility.

The first condition was a bit of an exorbitant demand, but it perfectly stopped short of crossing into his forbidden zone. The latter two conditions were standard Hollywood fare. No matter how he looked at it, this project was highly executable.

Napoleon the Great was French—that was Duke's biggest concern.

A film with a French protagonist would receive vastly different treatment in North America compared to one with an American lead. Although profits from overseas markets were climbing higher and higher, the North American market was the cornerstone of Hollywood. There was no way he could ignore it.

Fortunately, Napoleon was overwhelmingly famous. There probably wouldn't be many Americans who hadn't heard of him.

"Nancy, what's your take on it?"

After all, this was a project he had no memory of, so Duke hesitated and couldn't help but ask his agent.

"ICM spent two weeks conducting preliminary reviews and research," she said. "In any other director's hands, this script is an A at best. But in your hands, its market prospect is an A+!"

Nancy shared his sentiment: this project was practically tailor-made for Duke.

After saying that, Nancy shut her mouth. She knew exactly how to handle her biggest client. Over the years, aside from offering appropriate advice, she had never made a single decision on Duke's behalf.

Curling the fingers of his right hand, Duke tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa, his eyes returning to the proposal and script.

Suddenly, he realized he had overlooked something. He had been so captivated by the proposal and script from the very beginning that he had forgotten to ask Nancy who this producer actually was.

Duke turned his head and asked, "Nancy, who is the producer?"