Chapter 578: Sofia's Request

The delegation from across the Pacific Ocean spent a total of a week in Los Angeles and New York before leaving North America. According to the public relations departments of Time Warner and News Group, after learning about Disney's current situation—and bolstered by the efforts of the two major companies—the delegation was already leaning toward Warner Fox World.

However, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox didn't let their guard down. As long as no written agreement was signed, things could still change.

No one underestimated the capabilities of Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. During his tenure, the latter had transformed a studio primarily known for animated films into today's massive media conglomerate—more than enough proof of his shrewdness.

As for his meeting with Mountain Eagle, Duke felt confident. Given his fame and influence, the relatively neutral stance of his films, and the friendly attitude he periodically displayed, bringing his future movies into that market shouldn't be an issue. He might even get the same treatment as Nicolas Cage.

Speaking of Nicolas Cage, Duke still couldn't fathom it: why was it that no matter how terrible the man's movies were, they were always imported by the China Film Group?

The actor's current situation was undeniably grim. His finances were in such shambles that even Sofia Coppola was getting worried.

"He hasn't declared bankruptcy yet, but things aren't much better," she noted.

Sitting beneath a sun umbrella at a seaside café, Sofia Coppola slowly sipped her coffee.

"You need to be careful too, Duke," she warned him. "Nicolas was ruined by his proxy investors and accountants."

Resting his hands on the armrests of his wicker chair, Duke said, "You know me. I don't trust others easily."

Sofia turned to look beside Duke.

"What about Scar?"

She was clearly joking. Scarlett pouted.

"Duke definitely trusts you more than he trusts me," Scarlett said.

Duke completely ignored the two women's banter and changed the subject.

"Are you done shooting Marie Antoinette?" he asked.

"It's finished." Sofia Coppola picked up the coffee pot, refilled Duke and Scarlett's cups, and added, "Only post-production is left. We should be able to make it in time for this year's Cannes Film Festival."

Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "I heard you turned down an invitation to be the president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival last year?"

"I'm very busy," Duke said with a nonchalant shrug. "Besides, I don't like the films in the competition section. If I were the jury president, the winner's list for the Palme d'Or would definitely end up empty."

"You misunderstood what Sofia meant," Scarlett said, looking as if she knew the inside scoop. "If you became the jury president, wouldn't this year's Cannes Palme d'Or undoubtedly go to Marie Antoinette?"

With that said, both she and Sofia Coppola burst into laughter.

Although it was just a joke, every film festival judge had their own personal preferences. For instance, during the Cannes Film Festival where Quentin Tarantino served as jury president, Michael Moore—who had an excellent personal relationship with him—took home the Palme d'Or.

In truth, European film festivals weren't any more impartial than the Oscars. In fact, because there were too few judges and the jury president held too much power, they weren't even as transparent as the Oscars' practice of dividing the spoils.

"Are you going to stick to the arthouse route forever?"

After a bit more banter, Duke steered the conversation back to business. "Have you considered venturing into commercial films?" he asked Sofia Coppola.

Sofia Coppola raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a suitable project?"

"How about a superhero movie with an absolute female lead?" Duke turned to look at Scarlett beside him, speaking half-jokingly and half-seriously. "For example, a movie about Agent Natasha Romanoff."

Hearing Duke's words, Scarlett immediately perked up.

"Sofia, we've known each other for so many years, and I've always wanted to work with you again," she chimed in.

"Are you sure?" Sofia looked at Duke, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Aren't you afraid I'll mess it up? I'd need at least a hundred million dollars."

"But not right now," Duke said, shaking his head. "The time isn't ripe yet. We have to wait a few years."

Producing a superhero movie with a sole female protagonist right now was simply too risky.

"I'm going to the restroom." Scarlett Johansson stood up and temporarily excused herself.

Watching Scarlett's retreating back, Sofia Coppola suddenly turned to Duke.

"You were serious, weren't you? Scar is a good girl," she said.

"I know better than you what kind of person Scar is," Duke replied.

Duke also glanced in the direction Scarlett had left. People grew up in different environments, shaping different personalities in adulthood. Influenced by her mother, this Scarlett—compared to the Black Widow of the past—could indeed be called a good girl.

Of course, Duke wouldn't hold the women around him to the standards of a moral puritan. It was already the twenty-first century, after all.

"I remember you mentioning it the last time we talked on the phone," Sofia said. Not foolish enough to interfere in Duke's private life, she shifted the topic to other matters. "You're negotiating with Google. Are you planning to sell your shares in Instant Sharing?"

"I do have that intention." Duke nodded.

Sofia was a bit puzzled.

"Isn't the outside world very optimistic about this company?" she asked. "Even though I don't really like Ivanka Trump, compared to you, she still seems to be a qualified operator."

"You don't understand the situation." Duke thought for a moment before explaining concisely, "Wall Street has given the company a very high valuation, but up to this point, Instant Sharing hasn't generated any real profit. And according to my estimates, it won't be profitable for a very long time."

That was only one aspect of it. In his negotiations with Google, Duke was demanding a stock swap. Although Google shares wouldn't bring in dividends either, from a value preservation standpoint, the risk was much lower than with the company he and Ivanka Trump had cobbled together.

Furthermore, if Google completed the acquisition of Instant Sharing, Donald Trump would never have the chance to get his foot in the door again.

Duke had never been a particularly magnanimous person.

"What are you two talking about?" Scarlett Johansson walked back over and sat down next to Duke. "You look like you're having fun," she noted curiously.

"The great Director Rosenberg..." Sofia Coppola deliberately adopted a teasing tone, "...is plotting a grand business scheme."

At that, she glanced at her watch, stood up, and turned to Scarlett.

"It's about time. Let's go shopping," she said.

"Sure." Scarlett walked over and linked arms with Sofia.

Just as the two were about to leave, Sofia Coppola seemed to remember something.

"If a suitable opportunity comes up, give Nicolas a hand," she said to Duke.

Sofia rarely asked him for anything. Duke slowly nodded.

"I know," he said.

Watching Scarlett and Sofia leave, Duke sat in his wicker chair, contemplating how to help Sofia's cousin.

The debts Nicolas Cage owed were a mere drop in the bucket to Duke, but paying them off for him would undoubtedly be a very foolish move.

For a former top movie star, regardless of his acting skills, his status was ultimately determined by the market's response to his works and roles. In Hollywood, a higher status equated to a different tier of pay.

In his desperation to pay off his debts, the Nicolas Cage he remembered had stopped caring about the quality of the projects and roles he took on, signing contracts recklessly. When those films were released, the vast majority suffered abysmal box office returns and terrible reviews. The poor market reception of his previous works directly caused his asking price to drop. With his pay plummeting, Nicolas Cage had to take on even more low-quality projects just to make money...

As a result, those works continued to fail, his pay dropped even further, and a vicious cycle was formed.

For the sake of Sofia Coppola, if he wanted to give Nicolas Cage a hand, the best approach would be to help him make a comeback. As long as the market response to the films and characters he played was good enough, his future salary would have some degree of guarantee.

Duke couldn't do much more than that. He would just have to collaborate with Nicolas Cage once more when the right opportunity arose.

In the second half of the year, he would be preparing to shoot The Dark Knight. If Nicolas Cage could pass the audition and meet his basic requirements, there was actually a role quite suited for him.

At the peak of his career, this former Oscar Best Actor possessed a distinct aura that walked the line between good and evil. When he played the hero, he seemed like a natural-born saint; but when he played the villain, he made audiences grind their teeth in hatred.

The Dark Knight also happened to need an actor who could play a righteous figure before ultimately turning into a villain.

As the post-production of Iron Man entered its final stages, Duke naturally began to consider the upcoming preparations for The Dark Knight. Furthermore, Charles Roven's assistant had hurried to Australia to meet with Heath Ledger, who was vacationing there, and his manager. The writing team at Duke Studio had already produced a script for the Joker. Surely, this maddening role would move many ambitious actors.

After spending a little more time by the sea, Duke signaled his bodyguards to call for his car, and he rode back to Burbank. Even though it was the weekend, the visual effects team—composed of Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Studio, and his own visual effects studio—had opted to continue working overtime to complete the effects on schedule.

Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, Duke also decided to drop by Warner Studios to take a look.

"Duke, you're here just in time."

As soon as he walked into the visual effects room, Phil Saunders came over to greet him.

"Anna just went to the Warner Building," he explained. "We need someone to decrypt the full digital copy."

Ever since The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Duke had basically abandoned film shooting, switching entirely to much more convenient digital technology. He no longer stored his shot film and edited copies in a bank vault like he used to. However, the digital copies were kept under equally strict security measures. Opening them required two people with different passwords to decrypt the files.

This wasn't Duke being overly cautious; it was because leaked copies had happened far too many times in Hollywood.