Chapter 651: Two Lucky Ones

"Margot Robbie just turned seventeen this month. Even though that's much closer to the female lead's established age range..."

In the screening room, Anna Printz stood before the projector screen, pointing at a photo of an actress. "...but we all know that if an actor is under eighteen, their working hours and any slightly mature scenes become a huge hassle," she said.

Duke hadn't paid much attention to the actors' ages last time. Anna Printz made a good point. He gestured for his assistant director to continue.

Anna Printz nodded to the assistant behind the projector, who immediately brought up another photo.

"Amber Heard has appeared in film and television like All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Beautiful Ordinary, so she has some acting experience," she said, turning to look at the projected image. "Her appearance perfectly matches our requirements. She was born in 1986, so her age is also a major advantage."

Sitting next to Duke, Tina Fey chimed in. "I also think Amber Heard is right for the role."

Seeing that both people in charge of the second audition agreed, Duke gave a slight nod. "Then let's go with her. Notify Nancy as soon as possible," he said.

Amber Heard was already signed with ICM.

Similarly, when it came to choosing the male lead, Tina Fey and Anna Printz shared the same opinion. They unanimously recommended ICM's newly signed Andrew Garfield to Duke.

Nancy's personal connections definitely played a part in this, which was perfectly normal. Duke also trusted his two assistants, so he confirmed Andrew Garfield to play the male lead, Sam.

The rest of the minor roles were basically finalized as well. Furthermore, per Duke's request, they specifically brought in Peter Cullen, who had voiced Optimus Prime in the animated series, to reprise his role for the film.

Although the leads didn't have to undergo the rigorous professional training that Channing Tatum did, they still needed to work out actively and build up their stamina, as both would have a massive amount of running scenes in the film.

With the leads confirmed, the crew's preparations entered a new phase. Duke remained in Los Angeles to oversee the production. He dispatched John Schwartzman to lead a camera crew to several military bases, coordinating with the Pentagon to shoot the fighter jet flights and advanced weaponry footage needed for the film.

Duke's stay in Los Angeles wasn't easy, either. He had to constantly communicate with the two visual effects teams at Industrial Light and Magic, accurately conveying the exact effects he wanted, and inspect their experimental footage to catch any flaws early on.

Then there were the explosions. The shoot would feature a massive number of explosive sequences. Joss William's team had started designing these scenes back in July, and Duke demanded that they conduct on-site inspections in Las Vegas. The street explosions required precise control over their blast power; if they actually destroyed a street in Vegas, the city officials would undoubtedly go crazy.

Next came the sponsors. The cars representing the Autobots' alternate modes were shipped to the Hughes Aircraft Plant in Los Angeles. The hangars here were also being used for set construction, primarily for the interior scenes of the Hoover Dam. The most eye-catching set piece in the hangar was undoubtedly the Megatron model currently being built.

"Building one of these at home doesn't seem like a bad idea."

Looking at the massive Megatron model at the end of the hangar, Scarlett Johansson's eyes seemed to shine. "I still prefer Megatron over Optimus Prime. I always feel like the Autobots only win because the director and screenwriters help them out, not because they actually have the strength to win."

She turned her head, looking at Duke, and asked, "Can't you let the Decepticons win?"

Duke had just finished walking a circle around a Chevrolet Camaro. Hearing Scarlett's words, he replied in exasperation, "What do you think?"

Scarlett curled her lip. "The audience wouldn't accept the Decepticons winning."

If the Decepticons won, it would mean they had secured the AllSpark and would create a massive number of Transformers. Humanity would face an exceptionally brutal fate.

Very few moviegoers would want to see an ending like that.

For a massive commercial blockbuster to shoot an ending like that, the consequences would be absolutely disastrous.

Pulling her gaze away from Megatron, Scarlett walked over to Duke and stood beside him, looking at the cars in front of them. In truth, the only vehicles shipped here were the Chevrolet Camaro that Bumblebee transformed into and the Lamborghini that Jazz transformed into.

Scarlett, of course, looked down on a sports car of the Camaro's tier. Her eyes quickly landed on the latest model of the Lamborghini, and she looked extremely interested.

Duke knew he had an older mindset and felt basically nothing for cars, but Scarlett was different; she loved them.

"In about three days, a fully loaded Lamborghini of the same model will be shipped to Los Angeles," Duke said slowly. "You can just drive it straight home then."

"A gift for me?" Scarlett laughed.

"Yeah..." Duke nodded. "I had it custom-made for you by Lamborghini."

"You didn't order one for yourself?" Scarlett walked over.

Duke shook his head. "I don't like this type of car."

He rarely drove nowadays anyway, and even if he did, it wouldn't be in such a flashy, high-profile sports car.

Scarlett opened her mouth, but swallowed the words that reached her lips. Having known Duke for so many years, she naturally understood what kind of person he was.

Seeing that Duke was about to get busy with work again, she said, "I won't bother you anymore. I'll go chat with Tina for a bit and come back after work."

Time slowly slipped into October, and the preparations for Transformers gradually entered their final stages. By late October, the film officially began shooting at Warner Studios. Coordinating with the promotional efforts of Hasbro and Warner Brothers, Duke held a massive press conference.

It had to be said that Transformers had a massive fanbase in North America. When the press conference was held, not only did nearly five hundred reporters pack into the front lobby of the Warner Building, but thousands of Transformers fans also gathered outside. These people held high various versions of the toys, as well as giant posters of Duke himself, to show their support for the film.

However, given the countless works where Hollywood had ruined childhood memories, a small group of "Transformers fans" also held up protest signs, opposing the adaptation of Transformers into a live-action movie.

Stubborn conservatives were never in short supply in any country or era. It was perfectly normal to have some people support a project while others opposed it.

None of this would hinder the press conference.

"There are so many reporters outside. I'm really nervous right now."

In the first-floor lounge, Amber Heard paced back and forth nonstop. "I need to take deep breaths, I need to calm down, I need to act like a mature star!"

On the other side, Andrew Garfield sat in a chair, rolling his eyes at Amber Heard's long legs, but he didn't say anything. He was also nervous, but he wouldn't show it easily. How to present the best side of oneself to the media was a mandatory course for them, and he had been studying it for a long time under ICM's instruction.

The door to the lounge was pushed open from the outside, and Nancy Josephson walked in. She looked at her two actors and said, "It's about to start. Do you remember what I told you?"

Amber Heard and Andrew Garfield nodded at the same time.

Nancy cautioned them once more. "You don't need to be too nervous. The media's focus will definitely be on Duke."

Just as their agent had said, after the press conference began, Amber Heard and Andrew Garfield found that the media only asked them a few painless, trivial questions before tossing all of their questions entirely at the film's director.

"They're just two lucky kids."

In the back row of the press seating, a female reporter said to her cameraman, "There's no need to invest too much energy into them."

The cameraman seemed to be a rookie. "Why do you say that?" he asked, not quite understanding.

"Never mind a pair of young actors with decent looks," the female reporter snorted lightly. "Even if Duke Rosenberg cast a pig, it would become insanely popular."

Just as the female reporter had said, the media's target remained focused on Duke.

However, Duke was highly experienced, so he handled it with relative ease, occasionally leaking some details so the media would have material to hype up their reports.

"Without a doubt, the protagonist of the film will be Optimus Prime."

Duke didn't shy away from the fact that the humans were merely supporting characters to the Autobot leader. "Optimus Prime is the most popular Transformer," he said. "His steady, wise, brave, and compassionate personality has deeply won our affection."

Adjusting the microphone slightly, he added, "In this upcoming film, whether it's Optimus Prime's six-wheeled semi-truck mode or his robot form, even the transformation process and voice will be exactly the same as the animated series from twenty years ago. The only difference is that the animated series back then was a 2D creation, while today's film is fully 3D. With the support of Industrial Light and Magic's advanced visual effects technology, every single one of Optimus Prime's transformation movements will be clearly visible."

A reporter stood up and asked, "Director Rosenberg, rumor has it that you will use 3D technology to shoot and produce Transformers. Is this true?"

"3D technology isn't just a simple gimmick to trick kids; it allows the audience to be more immersed while watching the film, making them feel as if they're actually there," Duke said very seriously. "I don't want the audience to just watch this movie, to just watch the world of Transformers. I want them to be able to enter this world through 3D technology. It will create a world of difference between watching a disc at home and watching it in the theater. I hope 3D technology can draw everyone into the cinemas to watch Transformers."

If you wanted to get audiences into theaters, you had to deliver things they simply couldn't see on a small screen.

Amber Heard and Andrew Garfield were somewhat disappointed with this press conference. It was completely different from what they had expected. The media paid little attention to them. Fortunately, neither of them were fools; they knew that everything would change once the film was released. The best thing to do right now was to devote themselves entirely to the upcoming shoot.