Chapter 483: Casting Director

Compared to the seemingly bloodless awards season, the battle for theater screens was far more direct and intense. Following its release, Pixar Studio's blockbuster Finding Nemo predictably shattered Return of the King's absolute dominance, ending its four-week box-office reign over the summer season.

This ocean-themed animated feature once again proved Pixar Studio's strength to all of Hollywood. Opening in 3,374 theaters across North America, it raked in 70.25 million dollars, averaging over 20,000 dollars per theater. This marked the best opening weekend performance in history for both Pixar Studio and animated films as a whole.

Without a doubt, the newly released Finding Nemo became the second box-office champion since the start of the 2003 summer season.

Having previously secured a four-week championship, Return of the King ended its most feverish theatrical run. Both its theater count and screen share began to slide. However, it still held the second spot on the box-office charts this week, raking in 14.22 million dollars across 3,458 theaters in North America.

No movie could stay red-hot forever, especially not during the summer season.

To avoid clashing with Return of the King, many major productions had scheduled their releases for June. As Memorial Day arrived, May came to a close.

Starting in June, a series of big-budget films premiered one after another. Movies like X-Men 2, Terminator 3, and Bruce Almighty all secured solid opening numbers. By the end of June, Return of the King was nowhere to be seen in the top five of the North American weekly box-office charts.

Yet even after nearly two months in theaters, the film still hovered within the top ten. Right before July 1st, its North American box-office gross finally crossed the 500 million dollar threshold, reaching a staggering 515.87 million dollars.

Globally, Return of the King also broke past 1.3 billion dollars, reaching 1.35277 billion dollars!

With the film's momentum inevitably cooling off and more commercial blockbusters debuting across North America and overseas, its daily global box office had slipped below 4 million dollars. It now entered the phase of accumulating revenue through a long, drawn-out theatrical run.

As Return of the King entered its third month of release, the global The Lord of the Rings craze largely faded, but a new The Matrix fever struck.

Last year, Matrix Reloaded grossed 795.5 million dollars worldwide. With all the baffling elements stripped out, although the film's audience reception dropped slightly compared to the first installment, it remained well within the normal range for a sequel. Simplifying the plot and toning down the philosophical elements had yielded excellent results.

This latest entry, Matrix Revolutions, also performed well overall. Its 92.12 million dollar opening weekend was enough to guarantee its ultimate commercial success.

With two consecutive sequels in The Matrix franchise receiving positive market reception, Duke's former assistant Zack Snyder instantly became a highly sought-after director in Hollywood.

Many companies even offered him 1+2 contracts, inviting him to direct their films.

That was Hollywood. While you were struggling on the path to success, you would be entirely ignored, no matter how brilliantly talented you truly were. The industry titans wouldn't spare you a glance of appreciation, and even if they did, they certainly wouldn't loosen their purse strings easily.

But once you succeeded, even if you just stood still, invitations would come flying in like snowflakes.

"Do you have any new plans?"

Inside Duke Studio, Duke looked at Zack Snyder.

"Regarding the future, or your next movie."

"I desperately need a vacation."

Zack Snyder's heavily bearded face was so thin he was practically skin and bones.

"In the past, watching you, I could see that leading a project independently came with a lot of pressure. But only after stepping into the role myself did I realize just how terrifying that omnipresent pressure truly is."

He let out a long sigh. "Ever since I officially took over, I haven't had a single good night's sleep."

"You'll get used to it." Duke opened his drawer and handed him Frank Miller's graphic novel. "Go take your vacation, and take a look at this novel while you're at it."

"300 Spartans?" Zack Snyder flipped it open and took a glance. "I read this a long time ago."

"Any interest in adapting it into a movie?"

You couldn't force these kinds of things, so Duke added, "If you're not interested, I'll have to find someone else."

The two of them had been friends and partners for over a decade.

Zack Snyder didn't stand on ceremony. "Leave it with me for now. I need to study it."

Duke didn't intend to interfere too much. He nodded. "DC Comics Company only gave me a five-year adaptation window, so don't take longer than five years to think about it."

Zack Snyder laughed. "Once I get back from my vacation, I'll definitely give you a concrete answer."

A gentle knock echoed through the room before Tina Fey pushed the door open and walked in. "Mr. Neeson is here."

"I'll take my leave then," Zack Snyder said as he stood up. He nodded at Tina Fey and walked out of the office.

Only after his figure disappeared did Duke speak to Tina Fey. "I'll go see him."

Leaving his office, Duke headed to the reception room on the same floor, where he saw the man he had invited.

"Hi, Duke."

The tall actor proactively walked over to greet him. "Long time no see."

"It has, Liam."

Duke invited him to sit and had someone bring in fresh coffee. He didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Do you have any availability in your schedule for the second half of the year?"

Although Liam Neeson had already harbored a few suspicions upon receiving the notice from his agent, his eyes instantly lit up when he heard Duke's words. He answered without a moment's hesitation, "I do!"

"Tina," Duke called out. Sitting off to the side, Tina Fey handed a file folder to Liam Neeson.

"This is..." Liam Neeson looked at Duke.

Duke gestured for him to open it. Watching the other man unseal the folder, he explained, "This is my next project, which will start shooting in the second half of the year. It's an action movie about a retired secret agent and his daughter."

Liam Neeson nodded and opened the script to read.

Duke continued, "I think you're perfectly suited for the male lead."

With his agent absent, it was impossible for Liam Neeson to make a casual decision. Even so, after briefly skimming through the script, he still said, "Duke, no one can refuse your invitation."

In reality, he felt the script was only of average quality. If it were any other director, he wouldn't consider it at all. But the man sitting across from him was one of the absolute top directors in Hollywood. Only a fool would think he was going to produce just an average-tier movie.

Even though professional negotiations would have to follow later, Liam Neeson had no desire to miss out on such an opportunity.

"Your character will be an agent," Duke explained briefly. "Although he's retired, his combat skills are extraordinary. Because of that, Liam, if we end up working together, you'll need to undergo a period of professional training."

"No problem." Liam Neeson nodded.

Duke was merely establishing a preliminary agreement with him. The subsequent negotiations would naturally be handled by Charles Roven and Liam Neeson's agent. After chatting briefly, Liam Neeson said his goodbyes and left Duke Studio.

Ever since the Independence Day holiday, Duke had placed Taken onto his schedule. The project passed Warner Brothers' review process at top speed. The film's production budget was set at 40 million dollars, which, in this day and age, could no longer be considered a massive blockbuster budget.

Duke didn't plan on executing any high-budget, grand-scale spectacles either. The film was entirely financed by Warner Brothers, and the reason the production costs stacked up to 40 million dollars was simply because his base salary alone accounted for a staggering 10 million dollars!

After the project was officially greenlit, the core members of Duke's team ended their vacations one after another and shifted into work mode. Nowadays, people like John Schwartzman had become top-tier figures in their respective fields, inevitably making them prime targets for other companies and film crews trying to poach talent. Although most chose to continue collaborating with Duke, some opted to jump ship.

For instance, his previous casting director, John, had departed from the team.

This was normal personnel turnover, and Duke didn't mind it too much. Finding suitable replacements wasn't overly difficult, but he wasn't going to place blind trust in a newcomer just yet. Temporarily, he handed the casting director position to Wallace Lee.

Despite being supervised by organizations like the Screen Actors Guild and possessing a relatively comprehensive system, Hollywood-style casting still couldn't eradicate backroom deals. Furthermore, no one would bother policing mutually consensual transactions. As for the notion that Hollywood lacked unspoken rules, or that an actor's pure skill and performance alone could fully dictate who got a role—especially the minor ones—one's brain would have to be incredibly naive to believe that...

Anyone with a functioning brain knew very well that Hollywood had never been a pure environment.

Duke never held his subordinates to any standard of purity either; in Hollywood, that was simply impossible. As long as his requirements were met, he couldn't care less about who ended up playing those minor roles.

However, when it came to major roles in Taken, such as the father, daughter, and mother, the casting director and assistant directors would essentially have no say in the matter.

"Lee, I need a large number of Eastern European actresses."

In the conference room, the prep meeting was well underway. Duke was issuing instructions to his new casting director, Wallace Lee. "I also need Eastern European actors to play the mobsters—their looks must be distinct enough. Additionally, every single prostitute cast must be sufficiently beautiful."

"No problem, Duke. I guarantee it!"

Wallace Lee was more than happy to take on this job. For one, it would allow him to prove his capabilities to Duke; for another, it was a highly coveted position that everyone envied.

He knew very well that when it came to those Eastern European actresses and the actresses playing prostitutes, the decision was entirely his to make.

As long as the actors met the director's basic requirements, he essentially had the final say. A position like this was heavily sought after in Hollywood by minor actors and their agents.

"Anna." Duke then turned to Anna Printz. "You'll be taking over the responsibilities that Zack used to handle."