Chapter 608: I Am Legend

Before Tina Fey could answer, Duke added, "The Joker is actually more like a loan shark. When people take what he offers, they give up something in return—and what they surrender is the nobler part of themselves."

It was a very simple truth. Much as Duke had done in the past, no matter what everyone else did, he always clung to his bottom line.

The way he saw it, clinging to principles meant holding on to one's soul. Wanting to behave decently meant valuing one's dignity. Guarding that bottom line meant defending basic human values.

Even in a highly developed commercial society like North America, people did all these things to give themselves a higher appraisal rather than a lower one. They did it to inject meaning into their lives, not hollow them out.

Human beings were incredibly malleable creatures. They certainly had the potential to fall, but that was not their only prospect. They had a selfish and cowardly side, yet that was not the sum total of humanity.

How a person actually behaved depended on the environment they were provided.

If a situation grew too oppressive—allowing a person only to release the baser aspects of human nature rather than the higher qualities of the soul; allowing them merely to eat, drink, and defecate without permitting them to pursue ideals and values, lest severe punishment follow—this could be seen as a form of deprivation. It was a deliberate attempt to keep them humiliated, diminishing their humanity and human dignity.

Under these circumstances, one couldn't argue that forcing a man to live like a pig was somehow a life closer to human nature, and therefore a more "real" life. What was the truth of a person? What was their true face, and what kind of life did they actually want? That could only surface once the pressure was lifted.

Only a psychopath like the Joker would discuss the truth of humanity under the shadow of a threat, treating a state of coercion as the moment truth surfaced, and deciding that baseness was human essence. He did it because his own perspective only reached that far. Just as a line in the script said, he was trying to drag everyone else down to his level.

For instance, the film's handling of the choices made by the people on the two ferries provided a resolution the Joker had not anticipated.

First, the people on the prisoner ferry threw away the detonator, accepting the possibility of dying at the bottom of the sea if the other side triggered theirs, rather than starting the fire themselves and turning the others to ash. It was the same on the civilian ferry. Even though some had hesitated, in the end, no one was willing to pay that human price, refusing to use their own hands to let the world fall under a villain's control.

Whether this was truly how a person would behave in their final moments was something they simply could not know under normal circumstances.

Just think of 9/11. The passengers on one of those planes fought a desperate battle against the hijackers, knowing what the consequences would be. Yet they still chose to do it. People were not just negative; they had a radiant side as well. Standing at a higher vantage point, it wasn't hard to discover that people were not only insignificant. They could also take on an entirely different face.

Someone like the Joker would never, nor did he want to, see that other face of humanity.

So, no matter how brilliant a character the Joker was, he would always be a—criminal!

Just as mid-November arrived, good news came from Nancy Josephson. Her ICM had successfully poached a client from Artists Management Company and officially signed a contract with Michael Bay.

However, given the box office returns of Michael Bay's first three films, finding a suitable project for him would not be very easy.

Over the weekend, Duke temporarily set aside his work. He accepted Steve Jobs's invitation and traveled to San Francisco to attend a reception hosted by Apple Company.

"Duke, I plan to release the first-generation iPhone next year." Steve Jobs stood across from him and raised his glass slightly. "How about you endorse it?"

"How much of an endorsement fee can you offer me?"

Duke wouldn't do it no matter how much the endorsement fee was. He was just making a casual joke, but seeing Jobs's serious expression, he had to say, "Steve, I've always been a supporter of yours, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to endorse it. If you really plan on finding a spokesperson, you should go look for an A-list star."

"I think you'd be great." Steve Jobs hadn't given up, adding, "You have the reputation, and your global influence is massive."

Duke had no interest in commercial endorsements. Shaking his head without hesitation, he said, "Speaking of reputation, Steve, you're far more famous in the electronics industry than I am."

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he said, "You could entirely endorse the iPhone yourself."

Steve Jobs revealed a thoughtful expression, seemingly genuinely considering Duke's words.

After years of overt and covert wrangling with Steve Jobs, Duke still held around seven percent of Apple's shares, but he had never really voiced his opinion in Apple's affairs. As long as the matter didn't directly concern him, he simply had his proxy support Jobs. If Jobs wasn't around, the proxy would support Tim Cook.

He had never expected to gain any substantial power within Apple anyway.

Steve Jobs had barely left when another man walked over. "Hello, Duke."

"Hello, Bill." Duke lightly shook Bill Gates's outstretched hand.

He was initially a little curious as to why Bill Gates would appear at his archrival's reception, but after exchanging a few pleasantries with the world's richest man, he remembered the reason.

When Jobs had first returned to Apple and desperately needed capital for the company to regroup, both Duke and Bill Gates had extended a hand to Apple. However, for the sake of balance, Steve Jobs had accepted a portion of the investment from both of them, though Bill Gates's investment sum was higher.

"I heard you ordered a massive 500-plus-foot yacht in New York last time?"

The two of them couldn't even be considered familiar, so they only spoke of trivial topics. What Bill Gates brought up was the yacht expo in New York. "Looks like it's time for me to retire my old boat, too."

Duke just smiled, not saying much more.

Relatively speaking, Bill Gates was one of the more low-key super-rich individuals in North America.

Gates and Duke only exchanged a few simple words. The industries the two of them were in had almost no intersection, nor did they have any commercial dealings; this kind of chat was merely a matter of polite courtesy.

Of course, whether it was Duke or Bill Gates, both displayed enough respect for each other.

People who had reached this level might use all sorts of tactics behind the scenes, but on the surface, there was usually perfect harmony.

However, there were exceptions, such as Larry Ellison.

Upon seeing Duke, this famously arrogant man immediately walked over. Bill Gates didn't even glance at Larry Ellison; he said a quick word to Duke in a low voice, turned around, and walked away.

After walking over, Larry Ellison snorted at Bill Gates's retreating back and said, "Duke, we meet again."

His words were not very polite.

Duke shrugged. "I think Bill is truly a very smart man."

Larry Ellison could naturally hear the underlying meaning of those words. His expression remaining unchanged, he said, "Afraid of me? Hiding from me?"

"Afraid of you?" Duke couldn't help but find it a little funny.

Larry Ellison didn't answer. Instead, he brought up the same topic as Bill Gates. "I heard you preordered a 500-plus-foot yacht in New York? Let me tell you, I've already transferred the Rising Sun to David Geffen."

Duke understood Larry Ellison's intent. His Rising Sun had once been the longest yacht in the world. Back when it was being built, he had heard that Paul Allen's Octopus under construction was longer, and had not hesitated to add investment and change the design, ultimately taking the so-called title of number one in the world.

Sure enough, Larry Ellison said, "I've already placed an order. I'm preparing to build a 600-foot yacht."

Looking at the arrogant and conceited Larry Ellison, Duke couldn't help but frown slightly. He certainly had no leisurely mood to compare yacht lengths with this kind of person.

"Then congratulations on becoming number one in the world," Duke said lightly.

This indifferent tone made Larry Ellison feel like all his previous showing off had been in vain. The other party wasn't taking the bait at all.

But he immediately thought of the aspect Duke cared about most, saying, "You know, Duke, I've invested in David's new film. His new film will premiere at the start of next year's Summer Season!"

"Oh?" Duke was intrigued. "That is good news."

Larry Ellison lifted his chin slightly. "And your new film? Will your Batman be released in early May?"

"I'm just a director." Duke smiled and shook his head. "When a movie is released is a matter for the distribution company to decide."

Such words were obviously meant to fool an outsider like Larry Ellison. Just how many people in Hollywood didn't know that he possessed a heavyweight say over his films' release dates?

Duke wasn't the sort of impulsive person who would let his blood boil and jump around just because someone jabbed at him with words. He had lived for so many years, after all; if he still acted impulsively at the drop of a hat, then he really would have lived those past years in vain.

Too lazy to continue tangling endlessly with a man like Larry Ellison, Duke made up a random excuse and went to the other side. The other party might not care about etiquette or face, but he couldn't afford to appear uncultured in a public setting.

That would be a disgrace to his mother.

However, he hadn't forgotten Larry Ellison's words. After all, according to the schedule, The Dark Knight was set to premiere in May, at the start of next year's Summer Season.

Stepping out onto a deserted little balcony, Duke took out his Mobile Phone, dialed Tina Fey's number, and said a few brief words.

By the time the reception ended and Duke was preparing to board a helicopter back to Malibu, he received a call back from Tina Fey.

"The planned production budget is 150 million dollars, distributed by Walt Disney," Tina Fey said, using as concise language as possible. "Adapted from a novel by Richard Matheson, the project is temporarily titled I Am Legend!"

"I Am Legend?" Duke nodded and hung up the phone.

Having such a movie as a competitor might not be bad after all.