If she wanted to break into the A-list, relying solely on the Marvel series wasn't enough Scarlett Johansson still needed to prove herself in a film where she carried the entire weight alone.
Duke understood this very well, which is why he had registered a screenplay with the Writers Guild early on. This would be a film told entirely from a female perspective, with almost the entire movie featuring only the female lead on screen. It would require the actress to hold up the whole film with outstanding acting and a powerful personal charm.
Frankly speaking, Scarlett, who had transitioned from an artsy youth to the commercial track, had no problem with acting, but she lacked in personal aura and charisma.
So, after Duke filed the script, he waited for the right moment.
"I had dinner with Jamie Johnson last night…"
After downing a glass of water, Nancy Josephson took the initiative to change the subject. "He asked me to check with you—do you have any concrete plans for the next installment of The Dark Knight and the sequel to Transformers?"
Hollywood studios love nothing more than producing sequels to box-office hits, and Warner Bros. was no exception. The Dark Knight and Transformers had both achieved massive success—if the sequels weren't on the schedule, Warner Bros. wouldn't be a real Hollywood studio.
"The next Dark Knight will have to wait a few more years."
Although some people absolutely loved this film and others hated it with a passion, no one could deny its success and influence. Duke understood that very well. Sequels to films like The Dark Knight, which enjoyed both critical and box-office success, weren't easy to make. "Wait until more time has passed, let the influence of The Dark Knight fade a bit, let market anticipation build—then make it."
Clearly, the Warner Bros. executives knew they couldn't change Duke's plans, so they had no choice but to convey and remind him through Nancy Josephson—not to forget those blockbuster franchises.
Duke thought for a moment and then added, "As for Transformers... I think releasing a new film every two to three years is more appropriate."
"Planning to find someone else to take over?" Nancy Josephson had already guessed Duke's meaning.
"Exactly." Duke nodded, resting his left hand on the armrest and propping up his chin. "I remember you already signed Michael Bay. I'll recommend him to Warner Bros. to take over this franchise."
Speaking of which, Duke frowned slightly. "Convincing Michael Bay that's your job, Nancy."
"He doesn't have a choice right now." Nancy Josephson appeared very confident.
In fact, after the massive flop of The Island, Michael Bay's standing in the industry took a sharp downturn. Few major studios were inviting him to helm big projects. Though Nancy had recruited him to ICM and his situation improved slightly, the action movie he made afterward also received a lukewarm market response. He didn't have many options left.
Even taking on a sequel project—he wasn't likely to turn it down.
And it wasn't just the next Dark Knight or Transformers sequel Time Warner had long had its eyes on Duke's blockbusters, planning to develop them into franchises. For example, a Taken sequel was already on the agenda, and a sequel to Independence Day was also in the works. Rebooting The Matrix series was another future plan.
While the three of them were chatting, Tina Fey received a phone call. She briefly stepped away from the terrace and returned a few minutes later.
"Good news…" Tina Fey sat back in her seat and said to Duke, "Charles Roven has already reached an agreement with Pat Kingsley. Tom Cruise is basically secured."
Duke nodded slightly. Along with Charlize Theron, who had already signed on, the male and female leads for the new project were now set.
"Also," Tina Fey continued, "Warner Bros. has acquired the rights from 20th Century Fox for you to make sequels to the Mad Max trilogy."
She seemed a bit puzzled. "Why do you want the rights to those B-movie franchises?"
Tina Fey thought Duke wanted to target Mel Gibson again. After all, there had been rumors circulating in the industry recently that Mel Gibson might return to Hollywood from Australia. Her boss was never known for being forgiving.
"It's nothing." Duke shook his head. "Just a precaution."
His next film project, tentatively titled Fury Road, would be an upgraded version of the Mad Max trilogy. This film would merely borrow the name Max; in terms of content, it had almost nothing to do with the original three films.
The original Mad Max was a 1979 Australian dystopian action film, directed by George Miller and adapted from James McCausland's original script, starring Mel Gibson. At the time, it was the highest-grossing Australian film and held the Guinness World Record for most profitable movie for decades. It definitely pioneered the global market for Australian New Wave cinema. The sequel, Mad Max 2, was released in 1981, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome followed in 1985. Thirty years later, George Miller rebooted the series with Mad Max: Fury Road.
That Mad Max: Fury Road had left an extremely deep impression on Duke—two hours of non-stop climax. No exaggeration, several scenes had reached a godlike level never seen before. If one had to describe the film's style, it could barely be called a racing version of Terry Gilliam meets a punk version of James Cameron. In addition to awe-inspiring cinematography, the director's control of pacing and storyboarding was masterful. The film was also filled with elements of steampunk, wasteland aesthetics, post-apocalyptic future, feminism, hybrid engines, and heavy rock...
Though he was using the title Fury Road, Duke didn't want it to be too closely associated with Mad Max, so he had taken plenty of precautions.
Not only had he acquired the sequel rights to the Mad Max trilogy from 20th Century Fox, but he had also sent people to investigate George Miller's situation. After all, previous marketing campaigns had claimed that Miller had been preparing for Fury Road for more than ten years. But according to the investigation, that was all just promotional hype. George Miller had never actually considered making a sequel. For the past several years, he had been meticulously preparing and producing Happy Feet, and in recent years had basically entered retirement.
If that weren't the case, Duke wouldn't have chosen this project.
Without a doubt, this would be a film with an extremely strong personal style. In some ways, it was a near-cult genre piece that didn't quite align with his typical production style.
Duke wasn't skilled in such a style, so he planned to make a series of changes to the film. While retaining enough visual coolness, he would reduce some of the non-mainstream elements as much as possible.
Moreover, in his hands, the theme of the film would be very mainstream—even in a post-apocalyptic wasteland world where society and order have collapsed, the longing for freedom cannot be extinguished.
In this film's world, a nuclear catastrophe has struck, and the environment has been permanently destroyed. Under such circumstances, what is the most precious resource? Aside from freedom, Duke's script focuses on unpolluted human life—the existence of the five wives in the film and their ability to bear children is the most precious resource in the apocalypse.
Just as George Miller once said—Fury Road is not Mad Max 4, nor is it a sequel to the previous trilogy, but rather an independent new chapter. These movies don't have a chronological connection.
The name Max will also not appear in Duke's film.
The female character from the earlier film has now become the absolute protagonist. Compared to Charlize Theron's portrayal of Commander Furiosa, Tom Hardy's role steps into the background. Although the film is packed with large-scale scenes and action sequences that trigger male hormones, the powerful and independent Furiosa is the real driving force behind the story.
Now that Duke has cast Tom Cruise as the male lead, the balance of screen time between male and female protagonists will naturally be adjusted.
In Duke's conception, Fury Road is a film whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It absolutely will not resemble the Mad Max trilogy, which was filled with fearless spirit and unrestrained energy. Instead, it will be more mature, more refined, and more like a modern film rather than a B-movie.
Duke proposed a production budget of $100 million to Warner Bros. To spend $100 million on a B-movie—never mind Warner Bros. going crazy, even he would go mad.
Besides, the earlier film was not a B-movie at all, and it barely had any cult elements left. From theme to production, the film had nearly every trait of a standard mainstream commercial movie.
That's also an important reason why Duke chose it.
In Hollywood and even globally, both the film industry and the fan community generally agree that Duke redefined action movies with Speed, The Rock, and The Matrix, leading a new wave of action cinema. At a time like this, making a subversive action film in the non-traditional sense—wouldn't that be even more interesting?
Most importantly, Duke now has enough clout to do it—and has brought in two megastars, Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise, to join him.
As early as the first half of the year, Duke had submitted the script and related plans to Warner Bros. The review committee completed its evaluation in July, but Warner Bros. still had some suggestions.
"They strongly request that you use 3D technology for the film," Nancy Josephson relayed some of Warner's thoughts. "3D can boost box office numbers by a significant margin."
After thinking for about five minutes, Duke slightly nodded. "I'll shoot with IMAX 3D technology. Tell Warner Bros. that I'm requesting an increased production budget to $120 million."
In the original plan, the most expensive components were the salaries of Duke, Charlize Theron, and Tom Cruise. Although Warner Bros. adopted the industry-standard model of a base salary plus backend profit sharing to reduce early-stage financial pressure, the base salaries of the three still accounted for nearly half of the original $100 million budget.
To make an excellent film, having sufficient funding is always one of the most basic conditions.