Chapter 443: Survival and Glory

"I hear the company wants to reboot the Superman movies?"

Although he rarely interfered in Warner Brothers' operations, Duke stayed well-informed. "And you want to pull Catwoman out for a standalone film?"

"Superman is still in the discussion phase," Doug Walter replied. He had always trusted Duke's eye for film. "Catwoman is already in the paper planning stage. The production department wants Halle Berry for the lead."

"A black Catwoman?" Duke shook his head slightly and spoke bluntly. "Catwoman is only a second-tier character in DC to begin with. If a black actress plays her, you'll lose the comic fans. Besides, Halle Berry isn't a good fit. Her box office appeal is limited—she's never carried a movie on her own. And as for her Best Actress Oscar..."

He left the rest unsaid, but Doug Walter understood perfectly. "What if we cast a different actress?" he asked.

"No, no, no, Doug." Duke wagged a finger at him. "You misunderstand me."

Doug Walter looked at Duke. Since Duke had waited until he took the CEO seat to discuss this in detail, it had to be something major.

"My personal advice," Duke said without beating around the bush. "Not just Catwoman, but the new Superman too. It's best if you put all these plans on hold."

"On hold?" Doug Walter frowned. Taking the CEO seat meant he needed to deliver results. Aside from his collaborations with Duke, his plan was to recreate the glory days of DC's superhero movies. "Duke, you said the era of the superhero film is about to begin. Why pause them?"

He relied heavily on his partnership with Duke, but without a persuasive reason, he wouldn't halt projects that were already in the planning stages.

"Looking at current trends, the market share for superhero films will keep growing over the next few years," Duke said seriously. "So, we shouldn't rush into production. We need to formulate a comprehensive, overarching plan."

Duke didn't keep Doug Walter in suspense. He laid it out simply. "Have you ever thought about bringing DC's comic heroes together in one cinematic universe, teaming them up to fight side by side like they do in the comics?"

"You mean..." Doug Walter immediately caught on. "The Justice League?"

"Exactly," Duke nodded. "Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince—they have far more influence than most Marvel superheroes. I'm sure fans would love to see the Justice Big Three appear in the same film."

Doug Walter fell into deep thought.

Duke continued, "We shouldn't make sequels. Instead, tear the whole franchise down and start over. Build a complete plan, using individual films for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest to link the heroes of the Justice League together, eventually leading up to a team-up movie."

"We really do need a plan."

Doug Walter's ability to secure the CEO position at Warner Brothers was unquestionable. Although he wasn't certain if a team-up movie would succeed, it was a far sounder strategy than hastily launching Catwoman and Superman.

"It's more than just that." Duke stared right into Doug Walter's eyes. "Ever since I bought shares in Marvel, I've had an idea."

"An idea?" Doug Walter met his gaze.

"Doug, this stays strictly between us."

Doug Walter gave a heavy nod.

In truth, it wouldn't matter if his next words leaked out. Duke simply wanted to ensure Warner Brothers took this extremely seriously. "I don't think we should treat Marvel as a competitor."

Duke raised a hand to cut off whatever Doug Walter was about to say. "This has nothing to do with me being a Marvel shareholder. Doug, Marvel Pictures was just established. Even if they produce their first movie four years from now, they won't have the capability to distribute it..."

Was it possible for a film studio to handle large-scale domestic and global distribution just a few years after its founding?

Doug Walter already caught Duke's drift.

"I own thirty-two percent of Marvel's shares, and I'm steadily buying more. Furthermore, my shares carry voting rights." Duke's voice was neither loud nor fast, but his words carried immense weight. "With my backing, it won't be hard for Warner Brothers to secure the distribution rights for Marvel Pictures..."

Hearing this, Doug Walter smiled. Marvel Pictures' confidence stemmed entirely from having a director like Duke standing behind them. If Duke favored Warner, and Marvel entered Warner's system...

"Have you considered it, Doug?" Duke asked straightforwardly. "If Marvel's superhero movies succeed, they form The Avengers. If our movies also succeed, we form the Justice League. And then, the two leagues..."

He paused. "Why don't we just swallow Marvel whole when the time is right?"

Duke was describing a best-case scenario, but Doug Walter subconsciously believed that both superhero franchises would succeed. After all, the man pushing them forward was Duke Rosenberg!

If they truly succeeded, he would become the most illustrious CEO in Warner Brothers' history. He would secure more stock options and dividends, and claiming the top spot as the CEO of the parent conglomerate wouldn't be out of the question.

However, Doug Walter immediately realized the biggest problem with the plan.

"Duke, DC's superhero movies have been in decline for far too long."

The conversation had come full circle, returning to where it started.

After a moment's consideration, Duke said, "Doug, if my advice is adopted, I hope the company formulates a comprehensive plan. As for DC's superhero films..."

Duke smiled. "Save Batman for me. Don't give him to anyone else."

"Don't worry!" It was the best thing Doug Walter had heard all night. "Duke, Bruce Wayne is yours!"

He then asked, "When do you plan to start the Batman project?"

"Very soon." Duke mentally reviewed his schedule. "After The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I'll need a break. I plan to direct a low-budget action movie, then shift my focus to Batman. I'm planning a brand-new trilogy. Once I finish post-production for Return of the King, I'll draft the outlines for both the action film and the trilogy..."

Doug Walter perked up. "I'll take full responsibility for pushing this through at Warner!"

These were monumental issues that would shape the future of Warner Brothers. Even Duke and Doug Walter could only reach a mutual understanding; they couldn't make the final call on their own. In a company with such a complex shareholder structure, massive projects and the company's future direction weren't things one or two people could decide with a few sentences.

After discussing a few more details, Duke shifted the topic. "How are the talks with Steve Jobs going?"

"He keeps having Pixar Studio negotiate with us, but he's in no rush." Doug Walter gave a helpless smile. "Jobs is a sly old fox. His first choice is still Walt Disney. He just wants to use Warner to pressure Disney. But Michael Eisner has a bitter feud with him and refuses to back down. Rumor has it they got into a shouting match during a joint meeting between Disney and Pixar."

Duke frowned. "How good are our chances?"

"It's hard to say right now." Doug Walter tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa. "Pixar Studio still has two animated features left on their current contract. Given Pixar's production pace, they probably won't fulfill it until 2004 at the earliest."

Everyone wanted a bite of a delicious cake like Pixar Studio. "The conglomerate's stance is clear," Doug Walter added. "Do whatever it takes to swallow Pixar Studio. Even if we can't buy them outright, we need to at least establish a partnership."

In today's Hollywood, every major studio was greenlighting animated projects. This was a weak point for Warner Brothers, but if they could swallow Pixar Studio, that weakness would become a strength.

Of course, with Walt Disney holding the upper hand, trying to snatch Pixar away from someone like Steve Jobs was going to be incredibly difficult.

Just as they were leaving the reception room, Doug Walter asked, "Are you going to direct Marvel's Iron Man?"

Duke shook his head. "It's not in my plans for now. Marvel Pictures lacks experience. They need a long preparation period."

Stepping out of the reception room and returning to the banquet hall, Duke saw Ivanka rushing over to find him. "Where did you go?" she asked with concern. "I went around socializing for a bit and ended up losing you."

"Just chatting with Doug about a few things," Duke said, taking her hand and leading her toward Tina Fey. "About future work."

"God..." Ivanka frowned, complaining softly. "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy isn't even finished yet, and you're already planning future work?"

"Darling." Duke linked his arm through hers. "This is the career I love."

Approaching Tina Fey, Duke opened his arms to the other woman chatting with her. "Sofia, it's been a while."

"It really has, Duke."

Sofia Coppola stepped forward to share a brief hug with him, then turned to look at Ivanka. "Hello, Miss Trump."

"Hello, Sofia." Knowing that this was one of Duke's few close friends, Ivanka offered an affectionate smile. "Just call me Evie."

The two women greeted each other quite amicably.

"How are preparations for your new movie going?" Duke asked.

"I'm taking the crew to Tokyo next month." Sofia Coppola winked playfully. "Guess who the lead actress is?"

"Scar?"

Duke had heard Scarlett Johansson mention last time that she had accompanied Sofia on a location scouting trip to Tokyo.

"She really can't keep a secret," Sofia Coppola muttered, then added, "Scar's acting has improved tremendously."

"Yeah," Duke nodded. "You've already turned her into an artsy girl."

Sofia laughed. Lowering her voice, she said, "My film is aimed at the Oscars. Your Return of the King just might end up competing against me."