Chapter 620: This Is Hollywood

Although they had long since signed the relevant contracts with Heath Ledger, the accident forced Warner Brothers to act cautiously. They reached out to Ledger's parents and family. Because a contract was already in place, it didn't take much effort to reach a licensing agreement with the elder Ledgers.

In mid-April, just as The Dark Knight wrapped its sound editing, Duke announced the end of post-production and released the second trailer. Jumping ahead of the film's premiere and the rest of the characters, Warner Brothers launched a commemorative Joker action figure, which came in two versions priced at $9.99 and $10.99.

Warner Brothers had hyped Heath Ledger's death into a national phenomenon over the past two months. The moment the figures launched, they sold out.

"What's going on?"

In a spacious apartment, Kyle was so angry he wanted to smash his mouse. Staring at the monitor, he muttered, "I missed out again."

His sister, Ella, walked over and peered over his shoulder. "Is a dead actor's action figure really in that much demand?" she asked curiously.

"You don't get it," Kyle said with a dismissive wave. "His accident happened all because of the Joker role."

"You actually believe that kind of marketing?"

Since she worked in the media industry herself, Ella couldn't help but curl her lip. "Warner Brothers and Duke Rosenberg can turn a dead Heath Ledger into whoever they want him to be."

"You still don't understand." Kyle pointed at the monitor. "A single Joker figure surged to thirty dollars online, and it still got snatched up in a flash. Now they're completely out of stock."

He elaborated, "Heath Ledger is dead. His figures aren't just commemorative; they'll probably keep going up in price. They might even become rare, high-value collectibles."

Ella shrugged. "I'm not interested in all that. Just help me pre-order a few more tickets for the advance screening online. I think booking opens in a week."

"Don't worry," Kyle said, turning to his sister. "I've been ready."

Fueled by Warner Brothers' marketing hype, The Dark Knight became a sensation before it even premiered. The Joker successfully eclipsed Batman to become the focal point of the posters, trailers, and promotional campaigns. Warner Brothers' commemorative Joker figures were selling so fast they had gone out of stock, becoming nearly impossible to find in stores or online.

Clear-headed observers easily saw through Warner Brothers' intentions, but the media's influence on the public was massive, and many blindly bought into the hype.

Moreover, Warner Brothers' promotional strategy was far more complex than simply praising Heath Ledger. Anyone in the media knew one immutable fact: controversy breeds attention.

Even though the Heath Ledger portrayed by Duke and his camp seemed so perfect he hardly fit the mold of a Hollywood actor, other media outlets backed by Warner Brothers continuously broke negative stories.

The New York Post ran consecutive reports claiming that following Heath Ledger's accidental death, his girlfriend Michelle Williams briefly feared their daughter would "not get a single penny." Although Heath Ledger's father, Kim Ledger, had publicly stated that Mathilda Ledger would be treated as a beneficiary of the estate, Michelle Williams reportedly doubted his ability to carry that out. The reports further stoked the drama, alleging that the relationship between Michelle Williams and the Ledger family was incredibly tense, to the point where she was threatening to "boycott" the premiere of The Dark Knight.

This story was allowed to ferment for quite some time. Once it had generated enough heat, Michelle Williams's spokesperson, Mara Buxbaum, held a press conference. She issued a statement declaring that the report's so-called "inside information" was entirely false. Michelle Williams had already confirmed her attendance at the premiere of The Dark Knight, and any claim that she was "boycotting the event due to a rift with the Ledger family" was absurd.

Soon after, Warner Brothers publicly confirmed that Heath Ledger's family would indeed fly from their hometown of Perth, Western Australia, to Chicago to attend the North American premiere of The Dark Knight on May 4th.

This was only one aspect. Warner Brothers was doing much more than anyone imagined. Even as they overtly painted Heath Ledger as an outstanding actor who had given his all for the role, they were quietly putting a lot of effort into the narrative surrounding his cause of death.

For instance, across many media outlets, Heath Ledger's cause of death was treated as an enduring mystery. Toward late April, multiple platforms and websites began reporting that his death was tied to drugs. These reports claimed he had exhibited troubling behavior on the set of The Dark Knight, suffering from severe insomnia, remaining delirious all day, and constantly clashing with the crew and cast.

Then, others stepped forward to refute the rumors, transforming the reports into a raging debate.

During a television interview, Nicolas Cage, who played Harvey Dent, firmly rebuked these claims.

"Heath Ledger remained in very high spirits the entire time we were filming. His mind was incredibly clear."

Nicolas Cage's words perfectly aligned with the crew's stance. "Perhaps his sudden passing caused people to fabricate a lot of baseless rumors out of suspicion."

He also revealed on the show that between takes, Heath Ledger liked to sit on the edge of the set, smoking leisurely and chatting cheerfully with the cast. He practically glowed whenever he mentioned his two-year-old daughter, Mathilda, looking every bit the doting father.

"We had a good personal relationship. During breaks, he loved showing us photos of his daughter, going on and on about the amusing things she did. He looked very happy."

This was purely for the sake of marketing. Anyone who knew Nicolas Cage clearly understood he was just talking off the cuff.

"Ledger was deeply committed to shaping the Joker's character," Cage continued. "He wasn't unfocused like the rumors claim."

But what did that matter?

Without a doubt, The Dark Knight had already become the hottest film of the summer.

"Can't they just let him rest in peace?"

On the private beach of his Malibu estate, Scarlett pulled her eyes away from a newspaper report about Heath Ledger and turned toward Duke. "They are just exploiting Heath Ledger," she said.

Popping open a can of beer, Duke took a sip and placed it on the round table beneath the patio umbrella. "Darling, this is Hollywood," he said.

Was it possible to make Warner Brothers give up using Heath Ledger for marketing?

The answer was obvious.

Scarlett Johansson sighed, folded the newspaper, and set it aside. Sitting up in her beach chair, she grabbed the beer, took a large gulp, and turned her gaze toward the ocean.

Although she disliked the practice from an actor's standpoint, she was no Hollywood newcomer. Having been in the industry for over a decade, she fully understood how things operated.

This place had never been an innocent environment. Like all commercial spheres, it was fraught with conflict and entanglement, magnifying the battles for fame and fortune countless times over.

Heath Ledger wouldn't be the first subject of this kind of promotion, nor would he be the last.

Scarlett was firmly convinced of that.

"It's just..." She walked over to Duke and gently linked her arm through his. "It still makes me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Duke shook his head. "Heath Ledger's family has already reached an agreement with Warner Brothers. We shouldn't dwell on it."

Since not even Ledger's family objected, there was no need for outsiders to worry about it.

Sitting back down in his beach chair, Duke let out a soft sigh. It was rare for him to try and save someone, and he had even taken concrete action to do so, only to end in failure.

Given Duke's personality, however, he didn't feel guilt or sorrow over it. Ultimately, Heath Ledger wasn't his friend.

Furthermore, The Dark Knight and Warner Brothers weren't the only ones capitalizing on Heath Ledger; many people in the industry were doing the exact same thing. His girlfriend, Michelle Williams, had recently announced that she would consider collaborating with the right company to shoot a film about him as a heartfelt tribute, hoping to preserve some memories for their two-year-old daughter, Mathilda.

Hollywood was inherently this kind of environment. Those with pure intentions, who naively believed they could make it through nothing but passion, talent, and hard work, would only be mercilessly assimilated or devoured by the industry.

Then again, even if Michelle Williams herself had no intention of exploiting the tragedy, her publicists and agents wouldn't let the opportunity slip by. They would relentlessly persuade her.

And people were always influenced by their surroundings. Even someone as strong-willed as Duke was no exception.

As the sun sank lower toward the ocean, Duke picked up his watch from the round table and checked the time. "We should head back," he reminded Scarlett. "We still need to change clothes and head out soon."

Scarlett draped her clothes over herself and muttered, "I still wanted to take a swim."

Duke helped her quickly pack up their things. Treading across the soft sand, the two of them walked toward the elevator leading up to the villa.

"Actually, there's a much more interesting event," Duke said as they walked. "You can join if you're interested."

"What event?" Scarlett asked curiously.

"How about dressing up as Catwoman and saving the world with Batman?"

Hearing this, Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to be appearing throughout the Marvel franchise. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to play a character in a DC Comics movie, would it?"

Stepping into the elevator, Duke shook his head. "Not saving the world in a movie, but in the real world."

"In the real world?" Scarlett asked in confusion.

After riding the elevator back to the villa and changing their clothes, Duke finally explained. "Warner and I have prepared another promotional stunt, and the candidate is practically finalized. We're going to see the little Batman who will be teaming up with you shortly."

Since the beginning of the year, Duke had his people searching for the right candidate. After months of looking, they had finally found a young Batman fan.