Chapter 582: The FBI in Action

"Ever since the worst movie leak in Hollywood history occurred, the FBI has intervened in the investigation, and numerous websites and organizations spreading internet piracy have become their focus..."

Breakfast time was a prime slot for American television networks, especially news channels, which was why famous shows like Good Morning America existed. The Jefferson family sat around the dining table, eating breakfast while watching CNN.

Anthony Jefferson, the head of the household, was in his forties. Always busy with work, he rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry. Hearing the phrase "worst in history," he grew curious and asked, "Which movie leaked?"

His son, Little Jefferson, immediately chimed in, "Iron Man. Duke Rosenberg's new movie."

"Duke Rosenberg."

Even though he didn't follow entertainment news, Anthony Jefferson had heard the name. "That's the most famous director in America."

"Yeah." Little Jefferson nodded as if it were obvious.

He didn't say much else. As a young man who loved this genre of film, Little Jefferson had already seen the leaked version online. Driven by a curiosity that the leak entirely failed to satisfy, he was paying close attention to how the situation developed.

The movie leak was clearly a major focus for CNN, and they had been tracking the story continuously.

"According to reliable sources, a key member of SEPTIC, a notorious piracy organization active on the internet, has been subpoenaed by the FBI. The websites and servers belonging to this group have been forcibly shut down, and a storage vault holding up to 120TB of data has been sealed..."

"Yesterday afternoon, the FBI launched a sudden raid on a data center in Sacramento, seizing the servers of .Networks. The company's CEO posted a message via Instant Sharing stating that FBI agents pulled the plugs on all their servers, confiscated all equipment belonging to their clients, and threatened to arrest any customers who attempted to retrieve their hardware."

"The furious CEO stated, 'If you run a data center in our great nation, you had better be careful, because the FBI can come in at any time, without any reason, and take whatever they want.'"

"Although FBI agents did not disclose what they were looking for, sources suggest this incident is related to the leaked footage of Iron Man from a few days ago."

On the television screen, the FBI agents moved without any attempt at concealment, looking exactly like something out of a Hollywood spy movie.

The footage fully piqued Anthony Jefferson's interest. "This seems serious. I haven't seen the FBI make such a highly publicized move in over a decade."

He set down his knife and fork and asked, "Iron Man? What kind of movie is it, exactly?"

"It's a shame the leaked version isn't worth watching, otherwise you could check it out when you get home from work." Little Jefferson's eyes darted around as he made a suggestion. "Dad, Iron Man is coming out soon. How about we go to the theater together to watch it?"

Mrs. Jefferson, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "My coworkers and neighbors have been talking about this movie a lot lately. If we have the time, we can all go together."

"Hmm..." Anthony Jefferson nodded. "As long as I don't have to work overtime, we'll go."

The companies and websites investigated by the FBI weren't necessarily involved in this specific leak. However, the FBI hadn't targeted them solely for Warner's publicity stunt. These people had indeed broken the law. Most of them were involved with pirated movies online, severely encroaching on the interests of a united capital organization.

This organization was the MPAA, or the Motion Picture Association of America. It was no official government body, but rather a coalition of Hollywood's traditional powers.

Seeing the incident trending into the spotlight, the MPAA gave it a hard push from behind, using the opportunity to crack down on those who damaged their bottom line.

In this highly developed commercial society, there were always many hidden hands pulling the strings behind every trending event.

Duke and Warner Brothers were merely one part of it.

In less than a week, the Iron Man leak had become a hot topic across North America and the entire Western world. The FBI's actions were being scrutinized by countless eyes. According to the information Duke had received, the FBI would definitely catch and announce the culprit before the film premiered.

As to whether that person was the actual leaker, it didn't matter at all.

While it was completely unrealistic for it to become a national conversation on the scale of 9/11 or the Iraq War, the number of people who knew about and were interested in Iron Man had undoubtedly surged.

These people simply couldn't find satisfaction in the leaked online version, so their attention naturally turned toward the upcoming theatrical release.

"I heard Iron Man leaked a few days ago, but figuring the special effects weren't finished and it'd be unwatchable, I held off on seeing it. I finally watched it today, and I realized I was wrong. It's actually really interesting. Unfinished effects, exposed Motion Capture gear... so this is what a work-in-progress looks like. It makes me even more interested in the final film. Won't it be fun to watch the fully completed version in the theater and compare it to this rough cut?"

Many comments online reflected the viewpoint of mainstream moviegoers. The vast majority of the audience hadn't lost their anticipation for Iron Man; instead, it had skyrocketed.

Seeing the online comments Scarlett had found, Duke confirmed one thing: Twentieth Century Fox in his past life had likely used this exact kind of risk marketing.

"I had Linda ask her classmates yesterday..."

Scarlett closed her laptop and turned her eyes to the ocean beyond the terrace, resting them after staring at a screen for so long. She turned to Duke and said, "Linda is my intern assistant. The feedback she brought back is that a lot of her classmates and friends are talking about Iron Man. Almost all of them are interested. It looks like our strategy is actually working."

"It was bound to have some effect." Duke poured a glass of water, placed it in front of Scarlett, and looked out at the ocean as well. "Besides, even though the leak was a rough cut Mike Dawson and I put together, it wasn't the final edit. For example, none of your action scenes were added in yet."

Over the past few days, Duke had readjusted the editing plan. He had fundamentally changed the opening of the movie so it would bring a sense of novelty when shown in theaters.

Furthermore, Scarlett Johansson's action scenes were entirely new footage. Within their regular promotional strategy during this period, Warner Brothers had heavily amplified their marketing around Scarlett.

Despite implementing the appropriate strategies and seeing a good response so far, Duke wasn't going to stick rigidly to a set routine.

Due to time constraints, he couldn't make massive editorial changes to the film, but he could still make suitable adjustments.

Scarlett withdrew her gaze from the sea and looked at Duke. "You still seem a bit worried."

Duke gave a slight nod. "Even though the response to the hype has been great, we won't know for a few days if all this trending chatter will actually translate into market momentum."

There was less than half a month until Iron Man premiered in North America. In just a few days, North American pre-sales would open via the internet and phone. They would be able to glimpse the film's box office trajectory from how those pre-sales performed.

"I have faith in you."

Scarlett stood up, walked over, and pulled Duke to his feet. She pointed toward the pier. "Let's take the boat out and clear our heads."

The small yacht moored at the pier was still the one he had bought a long time ago. Looking at it now, the yacht was a bit too small. It couldn't sail far from the coastline at all, and the equipment hadn't been updated in forever, making it quite outdated.

The wind and waves were a bit rough today. Not long after the yacht set out, Duke felt it pitching violently, so he had to change course and sail along a route closer to the shore.

"We should replace the yacht." Listening to the shuddering of the engine, Duke continued, "Get a bigger one that can handle ocean voyages. We could host parties on it with our friends, or take it straight to Hawaii or the Caribbean Sea when we're on vacation."

"Then just build a bigger one." Scarlett twisted open a bottle of juice and placed it in front of him. "Haven't you heard? That old man Spielberg spent nearly two hundred million dollars ordering a massive yacht almost 300 feet long. If you're going to upgrade, you have to get one bigger than his."

She looked at Duke again. "As for you, your personality is a bit too settled. Sometimes I find it pretty weird. In the past, you were like... never mind. Let's not bring up the past."

This industry was just like that, so Scarlett didn't have much to add. Changing the subject, she continued, "Over the last few years, you've lived more like a Puritan."

"Because I'm old, darling." Only Duke truly understood the meaning behind those words. "Old people always prefer a stable, quiet life."

"Are you old?"

The yacht kicked up a spray of water as it turned. Scarlett gripped the handrail tight, ignoring the drops splashing onto her face and body, and let her gaze sweep over Duke. "Your body and your stamina are so vigorous it's like you froze at thirty."

"Thank you for the compliment." Duke looked down at the nautical chart and made a slight adjustment to the yacht's heading. "Let's head to Santa Monica."

"Sure, I haven't been there in a long time." Scarlett looked completely on board with the idea. "We can stay there for the night. Thinking about when I lived by the beach in Santa Monica as a kid, I still miss it a lot."

After Mrs. Leah moved to New York, the house in Santa Monica had sat empty, but it had never been sold. It was Duke's earliest home; he had grown up there. The same went for Scarlett Johansson later on, who often stayed there as a child because of her fractured family.

Of course, Duke's vacation time was limited. Iron Man was premiering soon, pre-sales were about to begin, and there were many things he still needed to do.