Chapter 484: Money Is Not a Problem

The crew consisted mostly of returning members. Compared to the recently completed The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Taken was practically a small-scale project. According to the production plan, they would go to Paris for location shoots, but Duke didn't intend to film any of the indoor scenes there. France offered no tax incentives, and labor costs in Paris were even higher than in Los Angeles. All soundstage work would be filmed at Warner Studios in Burbank.

In less than a week, Charles Roven had finalized negotiations with Liam Neeson, making him the first actor officially cast for the project.

As usual, Duke would be fully involved throughout pre-production to control the project's overall progress, while the specific day-to-day work would be delegated to Charles Roven, Anna Printz, and Wallace Lee.

The film didn't require many lead actors. The two roles Duke prioritized most were undeniably the former agent father and his daughter. With Liam Neeson locked in for the former, Duke had absolutely no intention of casting the actress from his memory for the latter.

For one, he couldn't even remember her name. For another, as a crucial piece of eye candy, the character's appearance needed to be stunning.

Duke never minded featuring eye-candy actors whose sole purpose was to look good and decorate the screen.

However, his standards for eye candy were quite high. Even eye candy had a specific style. Casting an attractive actress who didn't mesh with the film would serve no purpose at all.

For the daughter role, for instance, Duke had the crew send out a casting call for auditions. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Latina, Black, and Asian actresses wouldn't be considered.

Liam Neeson's casting as the father meant they couldn't just grab any random pretty face to play the daughter.

Because of Caucasian physical traits, Duke narrowed the casting age range to between sixteen and twenty-one. The daughter's role didn't offer much room to shine, so it was unlikely to attract the top-tier young actresses in that demographic anyway.

Duke left the initial auditions entirely to Anna Printz and Wallace Lee. Acting as the final gatekeeper would be enough.

The project's pre-production phase was scheduled for a full four months. They were only at the beginning, so there was no rush. Given Duke's status and box-office appeal in Hollywood, finding the right actors was never going to be an issue. Between mid-July and the end of the month, Wallace Lee auditioned nearly sixty young actresses and finalized a shortlist for callbacks.

Beyond overseeing the various departments, Duke focused heavily on the film's commercial development. Since this action movie was firmly grounded in modern society, items ranging from cell phones to media players and cars would make frequent appearances.

Duke felt absolutely no pressure about selecting the right brand sponsorships. For the new project of a director coming off three consecutive billion-dollar global box office hits, the starting bid for any product placement was $3 million, even if the production budget was only $40 million.

Cell phones, acting as a focal point, would be the absolute highest priority.

Although camera phones weren't yet as ubiquitous as they would be in the future, they were already a staple of high-end models for many manufacturers. Several companies—including Nokia, Philips, Siemens, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson—wanted to land the film's mobile phone placements.

Duke had been working with Nokia ever since The Matrix, and this time was no exception. Nokia secured placements for four different phone models for $6 million. Sony Electronics bought a $5 million package deal for every media player appearing in the film, while Audi snagged the vehicle advertisements for $4 million.

If the film's global box office surpassed $500 million, the advertisers would also add a twenty percent bonus to their fees.

Before filming even began, they were guaranteed to recoup $15 million.

In addition, a few other product placements were still under negotiation. Once the advertisers were finalized, a conservative estimate placed their recouped funds at $20 million.

Duke was no longer the small-time director constantly hitting walls; he had become one of the most sought-after figures in Hollywood and across the entire country.

By early August, pre-production for the new project was proceeding smoothly. Meanwhile, Return of the King was still playing in theaters, pulling in nearly $40 million throughout July and pushing its cumulative North American box office to $554.25 million.

Its momentum overseas was also slowing down, earning nearly $50 million over that same period and bringing the film's global box office total to $1.44218 billion.

Another project tied to Duke, Matrix Revolutions, reached $262.74 million at the North American box office and smoothly surpassed the $500 million mark globally. It was an absolute success.

Thus, when August arrived, Warner Brothers threw yet another massive celebration party. Duke and Zack Snyder remained the stars of the event.

Naturally, the attendees didn't just include people already established in Hollywood, but also those looking to break into the industry.

"James, do you know him well?"

In a corner of the banquet hall, a young man of about twenty asked the actor standing next to him, "When are you going to introduce me?"

The lingering traces of youthful rebellion hadn't faded from his unruly face. His short golden-brown hair, styled to stand straight up, was just like his words—brimming with absolute confidence, as if he held the entire world in the palm of his hand.

James Franco, despite being much older, treated the young man with immense respect. Looking over at Duke, who was surrounded by a crowd, he said, "I only met him once on the set of Spider-Man, so I wouldn't call us familiar. David, there are too many people right now. It's not a good time to talk business. Let's head over in a bit."

The young man named David frowned. Although he had picked up much of his father's arrogance, he still understood what to do in this kind of setting. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a waiter and chatted idly with James Franco as they sipped.

"David, if you want to invest in Hollywood, or invest in a Hollywood project," James Franco said, clearly doing his best to advise him, "projects by established directors should be your first choice. That means a higher chance of success. Even if the film isn't a massive hit, or outright fails at the box office, you can often still recoup your investment through the ancillary markets."

"I understand," David nodded. "Don't forget, I'm a student at the USC Film School right now. I still know a thing or two about this circle."

His words were full of confidence.

James Franco smiled somewhat helplessly, forced to offer a gentle reminder. "Hollywood investors divide directors into different tiers, using their track records over the past few years to determine their reliability. And Duke Rosenberg is, without a doubt, one of the most premium choices."

"That's for sure!" David nodded in full agreement.

"What you need to do right now, David..." James Franco clinked glasses with him, "...is figure out how to impress Duke Rosenberg so he agrees to let you invest."

"Isn't the budget for his new film only $40 million?" David said as a matter of course. "As long as he accepts my investment, I can easily double the production budget to $80 million, and his director and producer salaries can double too!"

Hearing this, James Franco subtly rolled his eyes and said, "Investing in a movie isn't just a matter of funding. Neither Duke Rosenberg nor Warner Brothers is short on cash..."

"So it's a personal issue?" David smirked. "Limited-edition sports cars, luxury yachts, beachside villas, supermodels, even a private jet—what does he like? None of these are a problem!"

At this, he tilted his chin up slightly. "Most importantly, if he partners with me, he will win the friendship of David Ellison!"

James Franco shut his mouth. He didn't know what to say anymore. The guy had a super-rich father ranked in the world's top five and had lived completely smooth sailing since childhood. His personality was even tainted with a bit of that super-dad's confidence and arrogance; he wasn't someone who would easily change just from a few words.

Rich, inexperienced, yet overflowing with confidence, and right at the most competitive age—James Franco was no fool. Certain that the other party wouldn't listen to his words, he simply stopped trying to persuade him.

David Ellison looked over at Duke, who was still mingling with the crowd.

This was a celebration party, and the guest list had naturally been meticulously curated by Duke and Warner Brothers. The majority were members of the Academy, alongside several highly influential figures Duke had invited using his identity of Jewish descent.

Although these individuals were getting up in years and well past retirement age, they maintained a firm grip on their status as senior Academy members, absolutely refusing to let go until the day they died. As they aged, their mindsets grew increasingly conservative. While the Academy seemed to be projecting an attitude of reform to the outside world in recent years by bringing in quite a few younger members, the average age of the Academy's voting body was steadily climbing, even approaching fifty-five.

In this respect, the Academy's reforms had essentially yielded no results. The people holding the real power in the Academy had never wanted those reforms to succeed.

The logic was actually quite simple. Compared to the thriving, endlessly ambitious younger generation in Hollywood, these stagnant old men had no real presence left outside of flexing their authority within the Academy. Many of them had once reveled in fame and fortune at their peak—why would they easily surrender their final scraps of prestige?

This Academy core—made up of people in their sixties and seventies—was never going to develop their directing, producing, or acting careers any further. Retiring gracefully at the height of one's success was basically an overly idealistic fantasy in any industry.

"Hey, Duke,"

George Lucas walked over just as the crowd around him finally thinned. "Well done!"

"Thanks." Duke raised his glass, clinked it against his, and said without hesitation, "I need your help, George."

"I know what to do." George Lucas had a drink with Duke, saying before he left, "Even though most of them don't like me either, I can still get a word in with a few people."

Right as George Lucas left, Duke received a reminder from Ivanka. He turned around to see the young Green Goblin from Spider-Man walking over alongside another young man.