Chapter 716: Shouldn't Have Asked for Trouble

"Why can't Fury Road be released in our market?" A somewhat accusatory voice rang out inside an office. "I know the film pushes the envelope a bit and some scenes are quite bloody, but this is the twenty-first century. We shouldn't keep looking at the film industry through such an old-fashioned lens. Besides, the director, Duke Rosenberg, is one of the top filmmakers in the world. His movies have always taken a fairly even-handed stance, and he has never once made veiled attacks against us!"

"Ahem... ahem..."

Someone cleared his throat, and another man spoke at an unhurried pace. "It is inevitable that this film cannot be released here."

Perhaps because the other man carried enough weight, he offered a rare explanation. "It's not because it's bloody, nor because it's violent, and certainly not because it lacks our capital injection. It's because its ideological core is seriously off!"

"Its ideological core is off?" The first speaker was clearly baffled.

"Couldn't you see it? Fury Road tells a story of 'since none of us are going to survive anyway, why should I obey you instead of rebelling?' That's practically the same way every dynasty in history rose to power—where there is tyranny, there will be rebels!"

Hearing this, the first man was left speechless. Realizing their thinking operated on two completely different planes, he simply shut his mouth.

There was no point in arguing further, because a reason like that was simply incontestable.

Whether by design or by accident, the news somehow leaked out. Duke had countless supporters in this land, and it immediately sparked their discontent. It wasn't just his fans, either—public resentment toward a certain department already ran deep, setting off an immediate wave of fierce criticism. Online in particular, some of Duke's fans even came up with countless satirical jokes to mock the situation.

Perhaps that certain department's intentions really were good, but its excessive rigidity and lack of standardized criteria were also universally recognized facts.

On a well-known website, a post mocking the department was pinned to the top of the page, racking up over a million views in just a few days.

"A famous director wanted to model a sci-fi blockbuster called Defense of Earth after Star Wars, so he wrote the script, secured the funding, and got ready to start filming. Of course, before shooting could begin, it had to be submitted to the relevant department for review, so he sent the script outline to them."

"The outline read as follows: Many years later, Earth had fallen into chaos and turmoil. Taking advantage of the chaos, Martians invaded Earth. In that hour of crisis, Space Captain Solo and the last warrior, Luke, formed a resistance alliance to fight off the Martian invasion. With the help of Princess Leia, the robot R2, and Master Yoda, they used 'The Force' to defeat the Martians' 'dark power,' stormed the Martian spaceship in one fell swoop, and saved Earth."

"The famous director soon received a reply from the relevant department. It read: Since Earth had fallen into chaos and turmoil, what was the situation in our country?"

"The famous director immediately replied: Our country was the same."

"The relevant department flew into a rage: Impossible. Under the guidance of our leaders, our country will never fall into chaos!"

"Caught between laughter and tears, the famous director could only reply: By that time, political groups of any kind no longer existed."

"The relevant department sent back a stern reprimand: How audacious of you! How dare you curse our leaders to fall from power?"

"Breaking out in a cold sweat, the famous director hurriedly replied: You misunderstood. That was only a fictional scenario, not real."

"The relevant department warned: Even if it isn't real, it will still prompt unnecessary associations among the audience and affect social stability. Can you bear the weight of that charge?"

"A chill ran down the famous director's spine, and he had no choice but to revise the script. A few days later, he submitted the newly revised script outline."

"The outline read as follows: Many years later, Earth had fallen into chaos and turmoil, yet our country remained a picture of thriving prosperity, where the people lived and worked in peace and happiness. However, Martians suddenly invaded Earth. In that hour of crisis, Space Captain Solo and the last warrior, Luke, formed a resistance alliance to fight off the Martian invasion. With the help of Princess Leia, the robot R2, and Master Yoda, they used 'The Force' to defeat the Martians' 'dark power,' stormed the Martian spaceship in one fell swoop, and saved Earth."

"Before long, he received another reply from the relevant department. It read: What were the backgrounds of this Solo and Luke?"

"The famous director replied: They were the heroes who saved Earth."

"The relevant department questioned him again: Was Earth really saved by just those few people? Where were our leaders, our military, and the masses? Where was our great...?"

"The famous director patiently answered: Humanity had already been practically defeated by the Martians. In the end, those few went through untold hardships and dangers and finally drove the Martians away."

"The relevant department harshly rebuked him: You are promoting individual heroism and scorning the existence of collective strength! This will cause serious social repercussions. Rejected—rewrite it!"

"Left with no other choice, the famous director had to revise it again. After racking his brains for several days, he finally finished the new version."

"The new outline read as follows: Many years later, Earth had fallen into chaos and turmoil, yet our country remained a picture of thriving prosperity, where the people lived and worked in peace and happiness. However, Martians suddenly invaded Earth. In that hour of crisis, our country dispatched outstanding Party member Solo and soldier Luke to form a resistance alliance and fight off the Martian invasion. Under the wise decisions of our leaders and with the help of the broad masses, they used 'The Force' to defeat the Martians' 'dark power,' stormed the Martian spaceship in one fell swoop, and saved Earth."

"Before long, he received a reply from the relevant department. It read: Basically satisfactory, but what are 'The Force' and this 'dark power'?"

"The famous director explained: They are a kind of energy controlled by the mind. This power is extremely strong and can move objects from a distance. It has two sides, a good light side and an evil dark side..."

"The relevant department replied immediately: How can this be allowed? That is feudal superstition! Heretical nonsense! It does not conform to scientific fact! It will cause serious social repercussions—the uninformed masses will take it for the truth, young people will scramble to imitate it, and it will have a severe negative impact on minors. Rejected—rewrite it!"

"The famous director spat out three liters of blood and barely managed to recover. Left with no choice, he still had to revise it."

After round after round of revisions, the script outline that finally passed review went like this:

"Many years later, Earth had fallen into chaos and turmoil, yet our country remained a picture of thriving prosperity, where the people lived and worked in peace and happiness. However, Martians suddenly invaded Earth. In that hour of crisis, our country stepped forward to turn the tide, dispatching outstanding Party member Solo and soldier Luke to form a resistance alliance and fight off the Martian invasion. Under the wise decisions of our leaders and with the help of the broad masses, everyone worked together as one, engaging the Martians in fierce hand-to-hand combat with kitchen knives, clubs, sickles, and axes, defeating the Martians in one fell swoop and saving Earth. In the end, Luke gloriously joined the Party, Solo became a heroic role model whom people vied to emulate, peace was restored to Earth, and the people lived happily ever after..."

Word that Fury Road had failed to pass review also reached Warner Brothers. While the executives there were inevitably disappointed, Duke accepted the fact quite naturally. It was hardly surprising that a film like Fury Road wouldn't be allowed into their market.

Jamie Jensen of Warner Brothers even made a special trip out to Malibu to see Duke and ask if he could make appropriate edits, but Duke refused without hesitation. If it were recut to meet their standards, Fury Road would be reduced to a textbook terrible movie.

Even if such a terrible cut were produced solely as a special edition for that one market and wouldn't affect screenings in other regions, Duke had no desire to let a single film tarnish his reputation.

The whole affair also reminded Duke of an observation he had once read regarding why so many directors refused to touch science fiction films.

"How am I supposed to explain it to the higher-ups? Where is the real-world significance of my film? Where is the positive message? Why am I making such a bizarre movie in the first place? And the biggest question of all: how does my film align with the current situation? I can't answer a single one of those questions, yet not having an answer isn't an option. Once you think about it like that, the conclusion is obvious: I shouldn't have brought this trouble on myself in the first place."

Since he couldn't get into that market, Duke wasn't going to force it, and he certainly wouldn't put together a specially tailored version of Fury Road just to get in—that would be disrespectful to the audiences in that land.

Releasing his films there did make money, of course, but even making money had to have a bottom line.

Duke soon put the matter behind him and paid it no further mind. May had already arrived, and he turned all his energy toward the promotion and distribution of Fury Road. Alongside Charlize Theron, Tom Cruise, James Franco, and the other lead actors, he flew back and forth across the major cities of North America, making frequent media appearances and attending promotional events to build momentum for the upcoming release.

The new summer season in North America had already kicked off. Fury Road was facing head-on competition from The Adventures of Tintin, and because of its MPAA rating, the film was at a natural disadvantage in terms of audience reach, which meant they had to put extra effort into promotion.

Say what you will, the Cannes Film Festival still carried real clout, and since Fury Road was entered in the competition section, its goal was naturally the Palme d'Or!

After wrapping up a series of promotional events across North America, Duke met up with the main cast and crew and boarded his private jet to fly straight to Paris for the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.

Thanks to the efforts of Warner Brothers, Fury Road was set to appear at the Cannes Film Festival as the opening film.