Chapter 733: My Brother Treats Me Like His First Love

It was the hot season in New Mexico. Duke had been here for a few days, but he hadn't interfered with the crew's filming. Like most producers, he maintained the director's authority on set.

Besides, he had already done all his interfering during pre-production.

Standing in the shade of the small town, Scarlett watched Thor swinging his warhammer in front of the camera.

"Chris Hemsworth is so strong..." she said to Duke. "He doesn't even need to act."

"Yeah..." Duke nodded, completely agreeing with Scarlett. "His role never really required much acting anyway."

His gaze drifted away from the set, taking in the surrounding town. The crew had built this entire small town from scratch just for the shoot.

Scarlett kept her eyes on the set and continued, "I tried lifting that hammer yesterday. It's incredibly heavy."

The crew's prop Mjolnir was cast from bronze and covered in resin diamonds and jewels. Even though the hammer was hollow, it still weighed 30 pounds.

Duke turned back and asked Scarlett, "Any interest in picking up the hammer?"

"Pick up the hammer?" Scarlett shook her head. "No thanks. It's too heavy."

"I meant in the movie," Duke corrected. "Your character, Natasha Romanoff."

Scarlett shrugged, brushing it off. "That depends on what you and Marvel want to do."

She vaguely remembered that in some version of the comics, after Thor fell, Black Widow became the new Thor.

The crew then transitioned to an action sequence. Unlike Scarlett's Black Widow, Thor's fighting style remained faithful to the comic panels—a brawling style rooted in boxing.

"Hello, Director Rosenberg."

A rather likable-looking actor walked over. "Thank you for recommending me for this role."

Duke nodded at Tom Hiddleston and replied, "You're welcome."

Originally, the crew and Marvel Pictures had chosen Jim Carrey. Ever since The Mask, Carrey had been a huge fan of Loki in the original comics. But Duke had vetoed the choice. First, because his previous impression of Loki was just too deeply ingrained, and second, because Jim Carrey's asking price was far too high.

Tom Hiddleston was merely passing by, and after exchanging pleasantries, he headed off toward the set.

In truth, the dynamic between Loki and Thor was incredibly entertaining and served as one of the major highlights of the entire franchise. It perfectly embodied the phrase, "I abuse my brother a thousand times, yet my brother treats me like his first love."

Beyond vetoing Jim Carrey and choosing Tom Hiddleston, Duke's interference with the production extended to the female lead, Jane Foster.

In the original comics, the character was a nurse. However, Duke wanted her to fit the mold of a modern woman, so he suggested reimagining her as an astrophysicist. And an exceptionally beautiful researcher at that.

Director Kenneth Branagh wanted an actress who was brilliant, gorgeous, and possessed top-tier acting chops. An actress who balanced intellect and sensibility, exactly like Natalie Portman, fit his requirements perfectly.

But Duke had shot the idea down. Natalie Portman was certainly capable of handling complex, highly demanding roles, but she just wasn't suited to play this kind of straightforward eye candy.

Thinking back on it now, Duke realized that Natalie Portman's behavior at the Cannes Film Festival might not have been entirely unrelated to this decision.

Of course, he might just be overthinking things. After all, she hadn't yet won the Oscar for Best Actress, so she probably wasn't looking to cash in on major commercial blockbusters just yet.

According to his reliable sources, Natalie Portman was busy preparing for Black Swan. But if she was hoping to leverage that film to win Best Actress, it definitely wouldn't be as smooth sailing for her as it once was.

At that thought, Duke turned back to Scarlett. "Let's go."

As he traveled the globe, Fury Road was also rolling out in theaters worldwide. The film's release had expanded to 97 countries, which was fast approaching its limit. Quite a few nations and regions had no plans to import Fury Road, such as the Arab world...

During the ten-plus days Duke spent flying around, Fury Road raked in another $62.11 million in North America, pushing its domestic box office to $223.02 million. Breaking the $250 million mark for its final theatrical run was no longer just a pipe dream.

Overseas markets also brought in over $50 million, bringing the accumulated global box office past the $500 million threshold.

Furthermore, while the film's merchandise couldn't hold a candle to Transformers, sales were still quite respectable. Various models and action figures of the Rock Warrior were exceptionally popular, and there was even considerable market demand from fans looking to buy the Flamethrower Electric Guitar.

By mid-June, DC Comics launched the Fury Road comic series. In less than a week on the shelves, it sold nearly 3 million copies, cementing Warner Brothers' intent to turn the film into a franchise.

Duke didn't have the slightest objection. Only a film franchise could squeeze out every last drop of a property's value.

The importance of a film franchise to a studio went without saying. Duke understood this perfectly, and David Ellison, who had been battling it out in Hollywood for several years, understood it just as well.

From the day Sky Film Studio was founded, he had been searching for suitable projects to serialize. However, out of all the films they had invested in to date, only I Am Legend had been a major blockbuster, and as a novel adaptation, it wasn't particularly suited for a franchise.

Because of this, he constantly had people on the lookout for the right projects. It wasn't until recently that he caught wind of some news: Vin Diesel, the producer and lead actor of Fast and Furious 4, was looking for investors. After having someone investigate the matter, he reached out and made contact.

"Let me put it this way: I want to invest in your movie."

In the reception room, David Ellison looked over Vin Diesel's proposal and said to the bald man, "I'm very optimistic about this project."

Vin Diesel thought for a moment before replying, "The Fast & Furious franchise already has four installments and has cultivated a massive fanbase. As long as we can maintain the quality of the fourth film, the box office returns are guaranteed to skyrocket!"

After running around for days, Vin Diesel had finally met someone willing to invest. He was eager to move forward, though the reality of the situation was quite complicated.

"David, the rights to this franchise are held by Universal Pictures," Vin Diesel said. "If we manage to form a partnership, we still have to negotiate with Universal. Currently, Universal's financial situation isn't great. After Ron Meyer stepped down, their internal management has been a bit chaotic."

David Ellison understood what Vin Diesel meant and said, "When it comes to projects I believe in, I have plenty of patience."

He then added, "Aren't you trying to get the original cast back together? I can help you with that, too."

"Yes..." Vin Diesel frowned. "But I haven't been able to track down Jessica Alba's whereabouts."

"I'll hire professional private investigators to handle that."

Finding someone—especially someone who had once been quite famous—was hardly a difficult task for David Ellison.

He closed Vin Diesel's proposal folder and asked, "For the mob boss villain you've conceptualized, I think you need an actor who's tough enough for the role. Do you have an ideal candidate in mind?"

"The project hasn't been finalized yet," Vin Diesel said, spreading his hands. "I haven't thought about it."

"I have a pretty good candidate."

David Ellison leaned in a bit closer and quietly murmured a name.

Vin Diesel's frown deepened. "Him? Is he a good fit?"

"My father is Jewish..." David Ellison shrugged. "But I'm not!"

Vin Diesel fell silent. But thinking about Fury Road and words like "sissy," he gave a slight nod.

In some ways, all of them shared a common enemy—someone they strongly disliked.

Upon returning to California from New Mexico, Duke received news that Steve Jobs was gravely ill. Although he had never tried to influence or interfere with Jobs' life, and the two couldn't really be considered friends, their shared interests prompted Duke to make a trip to San Francisco. He went specifically to visit the guiding light and absolute dictator of Apple.

Regardless of how the world would judge him in the future, no one could deny that he was a genuine super genius!

People called Duke a genius too, but he knew perfectly well that while he might be somewhat clever, he was still a far cry from being a true genius. Compared to breathtaking talents like Steve Jobs, he was nothing more than a cheater.

Duke never shied away from this fact.

A clear head and acute self-awareness were arguably the key factors ensuring his continuous, rapid progress.

For example, he understood exactly what kind of person Steve Jobs was. Knowing he was a complete layman when it came to the electronics industry, Duke was never foolish enough to try and influence him. Instead, he leveraged every possible situation to align himself with Jobs and maximize his own profits.

Besides, a man like Steve Jobs wasn't someone others could just casually sway.

Therefore, even when Duke saw Steve Jobs and knew the man didn't have much time left, he refrained from offering any advice regarding his illness.

More accurately, aside from a simple greeting, Duke said absolutely nothing. This was because, at Jobs' place, he ran into someone who disliked him—and whom he disliked just as much.

Duke hadn't expected to run into Larry Ellison here, nor did he expect Larry Ellison and Jobs to actually have some sort of friendship.

Since they weren't in public, neither man bothered to hide their true thoughts.

Larry Ellison simply gave him a cold harrumph, and Duke responded by completely ignoring his existence.

Only after the founder of Oracle had left did Duke learn from Steve Jobs how their unlikely friendship had started.

On one hand, they shared a common enemy—Bill Gates. On the other hand, the two of them used to be neighbors.

According to Jobs, back when he and Larry Ellison were neighbors, Jobs kept a peacock. The peacock had been a gift from his girlfriend. It would frequently roam around the property and sometimes wander over to Ellison's house. Its constant, deafening shrieks made it impossible for Ellison to sleep.

So, Ellison went to Jobs to complain about it. Jobs' response was that he hated the peacock just as much as Ellison did.

Jobs then successfully persuaded Ellison to play along: when Jobs explained to his girlfriend how much their neighbor despised the peacock, Ellison had to stand right behind him and "add fuel to the fire."

It was precisely because of this peacock that Jobs and Larry Ellison built their little friendship.