Chapter 896: Film Is More Important Than Technology

Achieving fame at a young age isn't always a blessing. It has a way of going to people's heads. The Transformers franchise had undergone many changes in Duke's hands, and its female lead, Amber Heard, was one of them. She was insanely popular, undoubtedly the hottest idol actress in the world over the past few years.

Like most actors who hit it big early on, Amber Heard let her ego swell, leading her to make some highly inappropriate moves.

For example, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Originally, Transformers 4 was slated to continue the previous storyline, featuring Amber Heard and a Chinese-American actor in the lead roles. But plans rarely kept pace with reality. With Amber Heard out of the picture, the entire narrative shifted back to Michael Bay's familiar rhythm.

Amber Heard had garnered massive attention for her stunning performances in the Transformers trilogy, earning a reputation as one of the world's sexiest actresses. Although she claimed she had stepped away from Transformers 4 to seek better opportunities, her downfall was truly a case of disaster issues from the mouth.

During an interview, Amber Heard described Duke as a dictator on the Transformers set, comparing him to the tyrant Hitler and claiming he was an absolute nightmare to work with. The moment that interview concluded, her name vanished from the Transformers 4 cast list.

At the time, Duke had simply made a phone call to Michael Bay.

"Fire her. Find someone else."

Just as Megan Fox's career had tanked after leaving the Transformers franchise, Amber Heard's path in Hollywood was bound to grow increasingly narrow.

"Why did Michael Bay choose Nicola Peltz?"

Strolling alongside Duke through the gardens of Duke Manor, Scarlett Johansson asked in confusion, "She doesn't fit Michael's usual requirements for a female lead at all."

Walking slowly among the palm trees with Scarlett on his arm, Duke replied, "Maybe Michael Bay wants to change things up."

Upon first seeing Nicola Peltz's photo, many fans were bound to feel a bit disappointed. This baby-faced female lead wasn't sexy in the slightest. However, Michael Bay had discussed it with Duke—Nicola Peltz's youthful, immature image perfectly fit the female lead's role as a high school student in the rewritten script for Transformers 4.

Following that conversation, Nelson Peltz's Snapple Beverage not only became the main sponsor for Transformers 4, but also invested twenty-five million dollars into the film. Duke and Michael Bay had no reason not to choose Nicola Peltz.

Moreover, this kind of investment guaranteed a certain return. Michael Bay had cast veteran actor Mark Wahlberg to play Nicola Peltz's father in the film, while Irish actor Jack Reynor would play her boyfriend. With two tough guys serving as her supporting cast, it would be hard for the young girl not to become a star.

Strictly speaking, former child stars like Nicola Peltz naturally enjoyed far more opportunities in Hollywood than ordinary actresses.

Second-generation stars and children of the wealthy were nothing new among Hollywood's child actors. However, someone with Nicola Peltz's dual status—both a second-generation star and a billionaire's daughter—was truly a rare sight. Born in 1995, her name might not have been widely known, but when it came to family background, she was a true privileged heiress born with an ultra-platinum spoon in her mouth.

Her father, Nelson Peltz, needed no introduction, and her mother was former supermodel Claudia Heffner. When it came to breaking into Hollywood, she possessed inherent advantages.

Duke and Scarlett Johansson took a lap around the gardens. Seeing it was about time, they returned to the villa to change into slightly more formal attire. They didn't have to wait long in the living room before Aerin Lauder, having flown from New York to Los Angeles, arrived at the agreed-upon time.

"Darling, it's been ages."

After Scarlett Johansson greeted Aerin Lauder, Duke gave her a light hug.

He intentionally teased, "Your net worth just keeps getting thicker."

Aerin Lauder chuckled. "It still doesn't compare to yours."

Duke gestured for Aerin to take a seat on the sofa.

"What would you like to drink?" Scarlett asked at the perfect moment. "Black tea or coffee?"

"Black tea is fine." Aerin didn't stand on ceremony. She took the teacup Scarlett offered, took a sip, and praised, "Scar, your tea-brewing skills are getting better and better."

Scarlett poured a cup for Duke and herself, offering a slight smile in Aerin's direction. "The doctors and nutritionists both suggested Duke stop drinking coffee, so I had to figure out some tricks with brewing tea."

Aerin Lauder set her teacup down and looked at Duke. "I truly envy you and Scar."

Before Duke could say anything, she took the initiative to change the subject. "I only found out a few days ago that my cousin contacted you on Nelson Peltz's behalf. Did that cause you any trouble?"

"Rest assured, it didn't." Duke shook his head slightly. "What Nelson Peltz brought me was help."

Aerin looked confused. "Help? What kind of help?"

Scarlett Johansson took over the conversation, providing a general rundown of the situation.

Aerin burst into laughter. "It's a shame you didn't go into business."

The three of them laughed together.

After chatting about their respective investments and businesses for a while, the conversation gradually shifted to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"The female lead will be a British actress, and the male lead is a Chinese-American actor..." Duke gave a brief introduction. "The second male lead is a Latino-American. The original Star Wars iron triangle—Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford—will also be making their full return."

Negotiations between the Star Wars: The Force Awakens crew and the actors had already entered their final stages. It was basically confirmed that Daisy Ridley, Daniel Wu, and Oscar Isaac would form the new Star Wars iron triangle.

Duke had given the actors nearly three months to prepare. Such a short window was undoubtedly tight, but to coordinate with promotional needs, Duke and Lucasfilm had long since scheduled the start of filming for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Star Wars Day.

Star Wars Day was a holiday derived from the film's famous quote, "May the Force be with you," due to "Force" sounding like "Fourth."

This special holiday could be traced back to 1979, when Mrs. Thatcher was newly elected as Britain's first female Prime Minister. To congratulate her on her victory, the ruling party took out a half-page ad in the London Evening News that read: "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie!"

Ever since, on May 4th, loyal Star Wars fans in every corner of the world would shout the phrase, "May the Force be with you." Over time, this date was officially designated as Star Wars Day, and every May 4th became a traditional time to revisit Star Wars culture.

Setting the start of filming for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on this exact date would undoubtedly attract the attention of countless media outlets and fans.

Originally, Duke and Scarlett had planned to invite Aerin Lauder, Sofia Coppola, and other friends out to sea the next day, but a visual effects sequence for The Force Awakens being supervised at Industrial Light and Magic's headquarters ran into an issue. Duke had to rush to San Francisco. Fortunately, Aerin had been a fervent movie buff in her youth and was highly interested in the renowned Industrial Light and Magic. Duke simply brought her along to San Francisco, giving her a tour of the headquarters while he was at it.

Industrial Light and Magic's headquarters sat atop a hill in San Francisco's idyllic Presidio Park, which had also served as one of the most important military bases on the West Coast. At the company's main entrance, a statue of Master Yoda stood calmly in the middle of the courtyard, seemingly greeting the passing employees and tourists.

Behind the statue lay a complex of interconnected, sunlit, renovated buildings. These structures served as the greenhouse that nurtured world-famous special effects blockbusters, a laboratory for exploring future technological developments, and a museum paying tribute to the company's own history and cinematic works.

Inside the buildings, it wasn't hard to spot familiar faces: Darth Vader, R2-D2, and E.T. sitting in a bicycle basket, along with a dazzling array of trophies. In technical achievements alone, Industrial Light and Magic had won twenty-six Oscars, and the hallway walls were lined with a massive, incredibly valuable collection of private movie posters.

Of course, these posters were far from ordinary decorations. It was the very art of cinema they represented that had brought these like-minded individuals together to form Industrial Light and Magic.

"Film is more important than technology"—today, this concept had evolved into a core tenet for Industrial Light and Magic, guiding its continuous growth and development.

While visual effects companies like Digital Domain and R&H repeatedly stumbled, Industrial Light and Magic had yet to take a single wrong step. However, they still faced fierce competition from studios like Weta Studio, Framestore CFC, DNeg, and MPC.

These companies—both friends and rivals—together mapped out the future landscape of the film visual effects industry.

With the competition intensifying, Industrial Light and Magic's future was filled with challenges. Their technological advantage was undoubtedly their most praiseworthy asset. They were the only visual effects company to have ever received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, proving that their technical prowess was extraordinary. Rather than calling Industrial Light and Magic a visual effects company, it was more accurate to describe them as a technology research, development, and application center for the American film industry base. Many of the latest technologies in computer graphics were first applied to filmmaking by them.

However, Industrial Light and Magic never let technology bind their hands. To the company's members, no effect was impossible to achieve. The key lay in closely cooperating with the director and crew, striving to meet the director's demands while maintaining their own standards for visual effects quality.

In Industrial Light and Magic's future technological development, the Star Wars franchise would once again play a driving role.

Every film was an opportunity for technological innovation, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be no exception. Every new movie achieved a breakthrough, which had become an indispensable part of Industrial Light and Magic's growth. All newly developed technologies would be utilized in subsequent films, and everything they had developed over the past few years would manifest in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in various forms.

Soon after, negotiations between the crew and the lead actors wrapped up, and Lucasfilm officially announced the cast list. Dropping this news during the special period leading up to the Oscar Awards Ceremony inevitably shattered quite a few fragile hearts.