Chapter 702: This is Just a Suggestion

The large conference room in the Warner Building was packed. The entire core creative team for Fury Road had gathered, leaving Jamie Jensen, head of the Warner Distribution Department, to sit in a corner.

Stepping into the conference room, Charlize Theron noticed that Duke and Charles Roven had not yet arrived. Her gaze swept over everyone present, taking in the exceptionally familiar faces. These were the core members of Duke's team. Some had worked with him for over a decade. Such a stable, perfectly coordinated crew was the guarantee behind Duke's continuous success.

Although she could be somewhat aloof, Charlize knew how to handle people. Besides, she had grown familiar with this group years ago when she frequently visited Duke on set.

She walked over to the large man first and offered her hand.

"Hi, John. You look like you've lost quite a bit of weight."

John Schwartzman hurriedly stood up and shook her hand, squeezing a smile onto his plump face.

"Hey, Sally. You're just as beautiful as you were ten years ago."

A smile immediately touched the corners of Charlize's mouth. These were the words every woman loved to hear, even if she knew they weren't entirely true. She had certainly taken excellent care of herself, but time still left its inevitable marks.

After greeting John Schwartzman, Charlize Theron turned to the woman beside him.

"Hannah, it's been a long time."

Hannah Serena pointed to the empty seat between herself and Anna Printz.

"Have a seat, Sally."

Charlize Theron didn't stand on ceremony. She sat down between them, then greeted the assistant director, who was looking down at something.

"Hi, Anna, what are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing much," Anna Printz said, looking up to smile at Charlize. "Just thinking about the script."

Nodding slightly, Charlize Theron gave Anna Printz a deliberate wink.

"You definitely have to schedule all my scenes during the best time slots."

Anna Printz nodded readily.

"Of course."

There was always room for personal favors within the rules. Even if they weren't incredibly close, they were still well-acquainted.

Charlize was familiar with Duke's entire team. She stood up again and greeted the rest of the members one by one before finally taking her seat.

Beside her was Tom Cruise's spot. The male lead had not yet arrived.

The conference room fell quiet once more. Many people were reading the project proposal. Like Anna Printz, they understood that this was not the familiar genre they were used to. It was an entirely new venture and experience.

The door was pushed open from the outside once again. Rushed footsteps rang out, far louder than the soft, unhurried tones Charlize had used to greet people earlier. John Schwartzman and Hannah Serena couldn't help but frown as they looked toward the noise.

Tom Cruise pushed the conference room door wide open and strode in.

He glanced at the people inside. He offered no acknowledgment and showed no interest in greeting anyone. Led by a staff member, he walked straight over to Charlize Theron. Giving the South African Diamond a slight nod, he sat down.

John Schwartzman and Hannah Serena retracted their gazes and went back to their own business. The others merely shot Tom Cruise a casual glance before returning their attention to their work. Nobody cared about the superstar.

They had the right to be dismissive. This team had manufactured several superstars; to them, a superstar was truly nothing rare.

Sitting there, Tom Cruise felt a bit bored, and his eyes invariably drifted over to Charlize Theron.

Charlize Theron gave him a small nod but didn't say anything more.

"Where's Duke? Why isn't he here yet?" Tom Cruise asked casually.

"I don't know..." Charlize shook her head. "It seems he's discussing something with Charles."

After saying that, she pressed her lips tightly together.

Like many people in the industry, Charlize did not like Tom Cruise. However, she knew he was the male lead Duke had chosen and had no intention of saying anything out of line. Anyway, it was only a temporary collaboration for work. Given Duke's relatively fast shooting speed, she wouldn't have to endure him for too long.

Seeing that Charlize Theron had no interest in talking, Tom Cruise lifted his chin slightly and withdrew his gaze.

The conference room door was pushed open again. Duke and Charles Roven walked in together. The two strode to the very front of the long conference table. Duke handed the folder in his hand to Tina Fey on his left and clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your vacations," Duke said directly, looking at the people on both sides of the table. "We are about to embark on an entirely new journey."

He pointed to the proposals in their hands. "You should have all read it by now. This is not the kind of sci-fi action film we're used to making."

Duke sat down and asked, "Do you have any thoughts?"

"This film inevitably has to be shot in a desert..." John Schwartzman was the first to speak. "The IMAX Camera is unwieldy to operate. I need entirely new, custom-modified camera tracks and filming vehicles."

These were all minor issues. Duke nodded.

"First, we need to finalize the location."

Hannah Serena picked up his train of thought and said, "Are we shooting overseas, or in North America? If we go overseas, the Middle East and Africa are our best choices."

Hearing those two names, Duke vetoed them without a second thought.

"The Middle East and Africa are currently far too chaotic."

"If we're not going overseas," Hannah Serena added, "the deserts of New Mexico are a suitable alternative."

Duke considered the work schedule before saying, "Next week, we'll go to New Mexico for a location scout."

"New Mexico also has favorable tax incentives for this," Charles Roven said, clearly agreeing with Duke's idea.

"We'll discuss that after the scout." Duke turned to the head of the props department. "David, the shoot will require at least 150 cars. My vision is that these custom vehicles should primarily be based on vintage models. You and Hannah need to come up with a plan as soon as possible."

"Got it. I'll head to the auto markets tomorrow to take a look," the man replied with a nod.

After going over a few other matters, Duke addressed everyone seriously.

"This is a film where the effects must be shot practically. In fact, we have no other choice. I can't make this a CG movie. We will not violate the laws of physics. There are no spaceships or things of that sort in this film—only yellow sand and open sky. Furthermore, we need to create chaotic, frenzied events and scenes with countless details. It's incredibly difficult to achieve that level of visceral realism using digital software."

"Besides, practical shoots are more thrilling. We don't have to wait!" he stressed. "Fury Road is not a CG movie. Every single day going forward will be packed with stunts and fraught with danger!"

In keeping with Duke's personal style, the meeting didn't drag on for long. At the end, however, he asked the two actors and the art director, Hannah Serena, to stay behind.

Once the others had left, Duke spoke to Hannah Serena first.

"The designs for the cars we use on set need to be incredibly badass. I need no less than 150 heavily modified vehicles. I want every single one of them to blow people's minds. Each car must be unique, bizarre, and utterly aggressive!"

Having worked together for over a decade, Hannah Serena naturally understood what Duke meant.

"I know what to do."

With that, she nodded at Charlize Theron and was the first to leave the room.

Duke then turned to Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron.

"That world operates on an absurd kind of order. Humanity died out long ago. Out in the apocalyptic wasteland, there are two fugitives yearning for freedom—a silent man and a formidable woman—fighting to break free from their current imprisonment and the reigning tyranny."

"The film will revolve entirely around the two of you, and your dialogue will be extremely limited," Duke added. "The essence of your characters won't rely on lines or conversations to be conveyed."

Charlize Theron smiled and nodded. She had a feeling that her character was like a female version of Duke himself: resolute, decisive, calm, steady—and a person whose actions invariably spoke louder than words!

Tempered by protracted war, this character named Furiosa possessed a steadfast and fearless gaze. Yielding to the pleas of women who refused to be treated as mere breeding machines, she was willing to lead them in an escape. Throughout the journey, she would remain reticent and stoic, exhibiting not a hint of panic. Even when hunted down, she would face the peril unflinchingly, outsmarting her enemies with first-rate combat prowess.

Hollywood had far too few singularly unique female roles like Furiosa. In fact, looking back across the entire history of cinema, it was hard to find a comparable female character.

It was precisely because of this role—coupled with the confidence Duke instilled in her—that Charlize Theron had been willing to shave off her beautiful long hair.

Duke wasn't terribly worried about Charlize Theron, but Tom Cruise was a different matter. He looked at the actor and said, "Tom, all your lines put together won't exceed twenty sentences. You'll need to rely heavily on action and body language to interpret your character."

"Don't worry, Duke," Tom Cruise said, brimming with absolute confidence. "You still don't trust me?"

Duke nodded. Tom Cruise had been in the business for decades. Even if his acting chops were slightly lacking, it wasn't to the point where he'd botch a role like this.

This male lead was undeniably challenging to play, but Duke had made quite a few adjustments tailored to Tom Cruise—for instance, changing the protagonist's name to Tom.

The brief three-way meeting concluded. Charlize Theron stood up, checked her watch, and said to Duke, "I have an appointment with my personal trainer. I'm heading out."

"Yeah." Duke waved her off.

Tom Cruise, however, showed no intention of leaving. He waited until Charlize Theron's back disappeared through the conference room door before he spoke.

"Duke, don't you think the screen time between Theron and me is a bit unbalanced?"

Duke turned his head slightly, intentionally giving Tom Cruise a look of surprise. In truth, he wasn't shocked by the question; if he hadn't asked, he wouldn't be Tom Cruise.

"I think we can make some modifications to the setup between my character and Theron's," Tom Cruise added.

Fortunately, he had shown some growth over the years, because he quickly followed up with, "This is just a suggestion."