Santa Fe, known as the farthest extension of the American Dream, is the capital of New Mexico and the highest-altitude 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 center of the old town. Through the car window, Duke looked outside. The plaza was filled with rock, blues, and country singers, vendors selling Mexican burritos, and some bystanders watching the lively scene.
Here, it seemed that anything was possible. The world of music was madly advancing forward.
Retracting his gaze, Duke asked Tina Fey, who was sitting beside him, "Any progress in finding rock singers?"
"We've already contacted a few," Tina Fey glanced at the work log and said, "A casting director from the crew is on the way."
The most eye-catching element of this film was undoubtedly that guitarist. Duke certainly wouldn't forget such a plot point.
The vehicle left Santa Fe and headed towards the town of Abiquiú, eventually stopping in front of the infamous Ghost Ranch.
Before coming, Duke had seen a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe depicting this land.
In 1929, Georgia O'Keeffe arrived at Ghost Ranch near Abiquiú. Protected by sunlight and dust, she used her paintbrush to depict this "seemingly mad landscape"—halved mountain ranges, the famous Pedernal Mountain, cliffs, chimneys stacked with ochre stones, straw, lavender, cracked earth, and withered junipers.
Getting out of the car and standing on the cracked land caused by drought, he looked at the ochre stone spires pointing skyward. The powerful and wild nature appeared as if painted directly onto a canvas.
Led by a guide, Duke, Tina Fey, Hannah Serena, and John Schwartzman headed towards Pedernal Mountain. The scenery along the way was desolate; if not for some hardy plants, it truly resembled an apocalyptic wasteland.
Besides wild grass, the slopes and land were mainly dotted with cold-resistant low shrubs.
Tina Fey asked the guide, "Anthony, can these plants be removed?"
The vegetation would interfere with showcasing the desolation of a post-apocalyptic world on camera.
Anthony quickly shook his head. "That's not allowed. All the vegetation here is protected."
Duke frowned slightly and looked at his art director. Hannah Serena walked over to a shrub, examined it closely, then looked into the distance before returning.
She said, "We can use set design to cover these shrubs."
John Schwartzman added, "The distribution of the wild grass here is very uneven."
He pointed to the cracked, barren land in the distance and said to Duke, "We can focus the lens on suitable filming backgrounds. Wide shots can be handled with post-production."
Africa did indeed have more barren places suitable for filming, but Duke didn't want to go to that chaotic land. If anything went wrong with the crew, the time and financial costs would only increase.
Since both assistants felt there was no issue, Duke decided to use Ghost Ranch as one of the film's exterior locations. After touring the area again with the guide and having lunch at one of the few Mexican restaurants here, the group set off for White Sands National Park.
White Sands National Park is one of the world's most famous natural wonders. Here, massive wave-like gypsum dunes cover about 300 square miles of desert. The dunes constantly shift, growing, peaking, then collapsing, with the desert endlessly advancing. The sand buries everything in its path.
Duke was not unfamiliar with this place. Although he had never ventured deep into it, he had gazed at it from afar during location scouting at the White Sands Missile Range.
Because the sand here contains gypsum and appears white like gypsum, it's also called the Gypsum Desert.
The roads here were well-constructed to accommodate tourists from all directions. Once deep into the desert, roads were formed by compacting the sand with road rollers, and vehicles made loud friction noises as they passed.
The car stopped at the end of the tourist road, where a large picnic area had been flattened—complete with shade pavilions, tables and benches, barbecue grills, and restrooms—for visitors to rest.
Duke's group had no interest in sightseeing. After getting out of the car, they followed the guide through the picnic area and climbed the tallest nearby sand dune.
Atop the dune, Duke looked into the distance rolling white waves, vast heaven and earth. One couldn't help but marvel at the power of nature. Such a pure and rich mineral deposit should be a vast treasure trove, yet there were no signs of mining. This country pillages resources across the world yet adopts absolute protection when it comes to its own land…
Shaking his head, he dismissed these thoughts. After all, it didn't concern him much. Duke's attention was more focused on the desert itself.
The guide, who was from the New Mexico state government, knew that a project with a $120 million investment would be welcomed with open arms by any state—especially a film with major promotional value.
Anthony stood beside Duke and pointed at the undulating desert ahead, saying, "This desert matches the production's requirements for dune diversity very well."
He pointed to different dunes, introducing them to Duke and the others one by one. "These are dome dunes, shaped like inverted bowls. They are small and move quickly—up to 50 feet per year—and rarely have plants growing on them. These are transverse dunes, shaped like long ribbons, reaching heights of 60 feet. Since they form in areas rich in sand, multiple transverse dunes are often connected together. They are also the main activity area for park visitors—many people come here to play and slide down the dunes."
He pointed to another direction and continued, "These are crescent-shaped dunes, formed under strong winds. But due to limited sand supply, they look like a person lying prone on the ground with arms spread forward. The sand on the sides moves quickly, while the middle sand moves slowly, forming a crescent curve…"
Duke nodded slightly. Except for the sand's color, everything else met the filming needs.
The color wasn't a problem. It could easily be adjusted during post-production.
He thought of something else and asked, "I heard there are rattlesnakes and some poisonous lizards in this desert?"
"There are indeed rattlesnakes," Anthony didn't deny it. "There are some lizards too, but they're not very common."
"Tina…" Duke turned to his assistant and said, "Make sure to hire a professional snake handler."
Compared to that bit of expense, the safety of the cast and crew was far more important. He didn't want to hear news of anyone getting bitten by a snake or lizard during filming.
After checking out a few more areas of the Gypsum Desert, Duke basically finalized the decision to film Fury Road in New Mexico. In the following days, he went to a few other potential exterior locations with a guide, then left Tina Fey behind to negotiate with the management of Ghost Ranch and White Sands National Park. He returned to Los Angeles with Hannah Serena and John Schwartzman.
Everything in the preparations was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Apart from these day-to-day tasks, Duke also had to finalize the remaining cast.
Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise had already signed their contracts and were confirmed to play the female lead Furiosa and the male lead Tom. For the rest of the major roles, Duke had the crew release information, planning to finalize them through referrals or auditions.
He also had his own preferences. For instance, he had Charles Roven send out an audition invitation, intending to cast Anthony Hopkins as the villain, the big boss Immortan Joe.
Since The Mask of Zorro, Anthony Hopkins hadn't had any work that made waves at the box office. His fee wasn't high. Although he was set to appear as Odin in Marvel Studios' upcoming Thor, that movie wouldn't begin shooting until after Iron Man 2 was released. There was plenty of time for him to take part in Fury Road.
Anthony Hopkins was already old and no longer had the ambition he once did. His most pressing need was figuring out how to earn enough money to retire comfortably.
Just as Duke had predicted, Anthony Hopkins did not refuse the audition invitation from the production.
Of course, Hopkins was just one of the candidates. The production also sent audition invites to Robert De Niro and Al Pacino—both of whom had become kings of bad movies in recent years.
Perhaps for the same reason as Hopkins, these two former Oscar winners had not been picky about roles in recent years. As long as the pay met their demands, they were willing to take on almost any kind of trashy film.
Another important role was Nux, the war boy. Nicholas Hoult had left a deep impression on Duke in the past, but after learning about Hoult's current status, Duke decisively gave up on him. Right now, Nicholas Hoult was still bouncing around in obscure teen dramas, just a green rookie—not nearly capable enough for the role.
For this part, Duke also drafted a list of potential actors, with James Franco at the top. This actor, who had played the Green Goblin's son, had decent acting skills and could deliver a sufficiently manic performance when needed.
But again, he was only one of the candidates for the audition.
Additionally, there were Immortan Joe's five "breeding machines." Who could be more suitable than Victoria's Secret Angels?
Duke was a major shareholder in Victoria's Secret, and after making a quick call to the New York office, management quickly agreed. Led by Alessandra Ambrosio, five of the Angel models would soon head to Los Angeles to audition for the film.
The production had a generous budget, and Duke had strong industry influence, so selecting the right actors wasn't difficult. He left that aspect to Anna Prinz to handle, only stepping in for the final decisions.
Compared to the cast, the modification of those cool vehicles required much more of his attention.