Chapter 704: Gypsum Desert

Santa Fe, reputed to be the furthest reach of the American dream, was the capital of New Mexico and the highest state capital in the United States.

In the early morning, when the sunlight was still gentle, three high-powered off-road vehicles drove past the plaza in the heart of the old town. Duke looked out the window. A large crowd of rock, blues, and country singers had gathered in the square, mingling with vendors selling Mexican burritos and a few curious pedestrians.

Here, it seemed anything was possible, and the world of music was pressing madly forward.

Withdrawing his gaze, Duke asked Tina Fey, sitting beside him, "Is there any progress on finding the rock singer?"

"We've already contacted a few," Tina Fey said, flipping open her work log for a glance. "One of the crew's casting directors is on the way over."

The most eye-catching element of this film would undoubtedly be that guitarist. Naturally, Duke wouldn't forget a plot detail like that.

The vehicles left Santa Fe, headed toward Abiquiu Town, and finally parked in front of the renowned Devil's Ranch.

Before coming here, Duke had seen one of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of this land.

In 1929, Georgia O'Keeffe arrived at Devil's Ranch near Abiquiu Town. Sheltered by the sunlight and dust, she used her brush to capture this "seemingly crazy landscape"—the sheared mountains, the famous Cerro Pedernal, the cliffs, chimneys built of tawny stone, straw, lavender, cracked earth, and withered junipers.

Stepping out of the vehicle and standing on the drought-cracked earth, Duke gazed out at the earthen-yellow stone spires pointing straight up into the sky. It was as if this powerful, untamed nature had been painted directly onto a canvas.

Led by a guide, Duke, Tina Fey, Hannah Serena, and John Schwartzman walked toward Cerro Pedernal ahead of them. The scenery along the way was exceptionally desolate. If not for the presence of a few hardy plants, it would have truly looked like a barren, apocalyptic wasteland.

Aside from wild grass, the vegetation scattered across the hillsides and ground consisted mainly of hardy, low-lying shrubs.

Tina Fey asked the guide, "Anthony, can this vegetation be removed?"

The vegetation would affect the camera's ability to showcase the desolation of an apocalyptic world.

Anthony quickly shook his head. "That's not allowed. All the vegetation here is protected."

Duke frowned slightly and glanced at his art director. Hannah Serena walked over to a cluster of shrubs, inspected them carefully, gazed out into the distance, and then returned.

"We can use set dressing to conceal these shrubs," she said.

John Schwartzman chimed in from the side, "The wild grass here is distributed very unevenly."

He pointed at the barren, cracked earth in the distance and said to Duke, "We can easily aim the cameras at suitable backgrounds, and any wide shots can be cleaned up in post-production."

Africa certainly had more desolate locations suited for filming, but Duke didn't want to go to such a chaotic land. If the crew ran into unexpected trouble, the cost in time and funds would only increase.

Since his two assistants saw no major issues, Duke decided to select Devil's Ranch as one of the film's exterior locations. They took another lap around the area under the guide's lead, grabbed lunch at one of the few Mexican restaurants nearby, and then hurried off toward White Sands National Park.

White Sands National Park was one of the most famous natural wonders in the world. Here, massive wave-like gypsum dunes covered roughly 300 square miles of desert. The dunes were in a state of constant flux—growing, cresting, and collapsing as the desert relentlessly advanced, its sands burying everything in its path.

Duke was no stranger to this place. Although he had never ventured deep inside, he had gazed at it from afar while shooting exteriors at the White Sands Missile Range.

Because the sand was composed of gypsum and possessed a stark white color, this area was also called the gypsum desert.

The roads here were well-maintained for tourists visiting from all directions. Once they reached the desert's heart, the road was simply packed directly into the sand by steamrollers, creating a loud friction noise as the cars drove over it.

The cars stopped at the end of the tourist road, where a large picnic area had been flattened out. It featured awnings, tables, benches, barbecue grills, and restrooms for visitors to rest.

Duke and his group had no interest in sightseeing. After getting out of the vehicles, they followed the guide straight through the picnic area and hiked up the highest nearby dune.

Standing atop the dune, Duke looked out as far as the eye could see. White waves rolled out into an endless expanse, leaving him to marvel at the greatness of nature's power. Such a pure, rich mineral deposit should have been a massive treasure trove, yet there were no signs of mining whatsoever. This country ruthlessly plundered resources all over the world, yet maintained an attitude of absolute protection toward its own...

He shook his head and cast those thoughts aside. It had little to do with him, after all. Duke focused his gaze back on the desert itself.

The guide hailed from the New Mexico state government. Any state would welcome a project with a massive $120 million investment with open arms, especially one in the film industry that could serve as tremendous promotional material.

Standing beside Duke, Anthony pointed at the rolling desert ahead and said, "The desert here perfectly meets the crew's requirements for dune diversity."

He pointed at the different dunes, introducing them one by one to Duke's group. "These are dome dunes. Shaped like upside-down bowls, they are small and move quickly, shifting up to 50 feet a year, and very few plants can survive on them. These are called transverse dunes, shaped like long ribbons that can reach up to 60 feet high. Because they're in an area rich in sand, the transverse dunes often link together into a single expanse. They're the main recreation area for tourists in the park, and many people come here to sandboard."

He pointed in another direction and continued, "And these are barchan dunes, formed under strong winds. Due to a limited supply of sand, their shape resembles a person lying face down with both arms spread forward. The sand on the edges moves faster, while the sand in the middle moves slower, creating a crescent arc..."

Duke nodded slightly. Aside from the color of the sand, everything else perfectly fit the filming requirements.

The color wasn't a major issue; it could be easily adjusted during post-production.

Thinking of another aspect, he asked, "I heard there are rattlesnakes and some venomous lizards in this desert?"

"There are indeed rattlesnakes," Anthony didn't deny it. "There are some lizards too, though they aren't very common."

"Tina..." Duke turned to his assistant. "Remember to hire professional snake wranglers."

Compared to that minor expense, the safety of the cast and crew was far more important. He didn't want to hear news of someone getting bitten by a snake or a lizard during the shoot.

After checking a few more spots in the gypsum desert, Duke basically finalized that Fury Road would film in New Mexico. Over the next few days, guided by Anthony, he toured several other potential exterior locations before leaving Tina Fey behind to negotiate with the management of Devil's Ranch and White Sands National Park. He then returned to Los Angeles with Hannah Serena and John Schwartzman.

All the prep work was proceeding methodically. Aside from these daily affairs, Duke also needed to lock down the remaining cast members as soon as possible.

Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise had already signed their acting contracts, confirming they would play the female lead Furiosa and the male lead Tom. As for the other main actors, Duke had the crew send out word, planning to finalize them through referrals or auditions.

He also had his own inclinations. For example, he had Charles Roven send out an audition invitation, intending to cast Anthony Hopkins as the main villain, Immortan Joe.

Ever since The Mask of Zorro, Anthony Hopkins hadn't had any works that made a splash in the market, and his acting fee wasn't particularly high. Although he was set to play Odin in Marvel Pictures' new work, Thor, that film wouldn't officially begin shooting until after Iron Man 2 was released, leaving him with plenty of time to participate in Fury Road.

Anthony Hopkins was old now, no longer possessing his former ambition. Earning enough money for his retirement was his most pressing need.

Just as Duke had thought, Anthony Hopkins didn't refuse the crew's audition invitation.

Of course, Anthony Hopkins was just one of the candidates. The crew had also sent the same audition invitations to Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who had become the kings of terrible movies in recent years.

Perhaps for the same reason as Anthony Hopkins, these two former Oscar Best Actor winners hadn't been picky about taking roles in recent years. As long as their salary demands were met, they were willing to take on almost any terrible film.

Another important role was the War Boy Nux. The Nicolas Holt of the past had left a deep impression on Duke, but after checking on Nicolas Holt's current situation, Duke decisively gave up on him. The current Nicolas Holt was still wallowing in obscure teen dramas; he was just a fledgling greenhorn who couldn't possibly meet the role's requirements.

In this regard, Duke had also drafted an invitation list. His top choice was James Franco. This actor, who had played the Little Green Goblin, had decent acting skills and could perform crazily enough when required.

However, he was also just one of the audition candidates.

Furthermore, there were Immortan Joe's five breeding machines. Were there any candidates more suitable than the Victoria's Secret angels?

As a major shareholder of Victoria's Secret, Duke made a call to New York, and the Victoria's Secret management quickly agreed. Led by Alessandra Ambrosio, five angel models would soon head to Los Angeles to participate in the crew's auditions.

The crew's budget was ample, and Duke's appeal was massive, so selecting suitable actors wasn't difficult. Duke left this aspect for Anna Printz to handle; he was merely responsible for the final review.

Compared to the actors, modifying those cool vehicles required him to invest much more energy.