In February, Burbank hardly felt cold. Warm sunlight poured down from the sky, carrying the unique heat of California. The weather here was completely different from New York's, and Nelson Peltz, who had just gotten off the plane, felt a bit uncomfortable. As he walked into the appointed clubhouse, his brows slightly furrowed—just like how people from the East Coast always looked at the West Coast with tinted lenses.
Having flown from New York to Los Angeles and even booked the café of a luxury clubhouse, Nelson Peltz was, of course, here to meet an important person—a super-rich billionaire and an even more famous director.
Through the Lauder family's connections, he had finally managed to arrange a meeting with Duke Rosenberg. Naturally, he took it very seriously and arrived more than ten minutes early.
Sitting in the outdoor café, admiring the beauty of the garden, Nelson Peltz carefully considered his words one last time. He knew that the person who had helped arrange this meeting was only Irene Lauder's cousin—after all, that person wasn't Irene herself. Given Duke Rosenberg's personality, he probably wouldn't easily show him much favor.
Nelson Peltz had studied Duke and knew that to impress him, he had to offer something tangible—real benefits.
Taking a sip of coffee, Nelson Peltz couldn't help but sigh. If it weren't for the woman he cherished most, he wouldn't have made this special trip.
However, since his daughter had chosen the path of Hollywood, Duke Rosenberg's film was undoubtedly the best opportunity.
Though a businessman and a capitalist, Nelson Peltz was also a good father.
With less than a minute left before the agreed time, Duke appeared punctually in the open-air café. Seeing the elderly man standing to greet him, Duke showed a polite smile and walked steadily toward him.
"Hello, Director Rosenberg."
Meeting Duke, Nelson Peltz extended his right hand proactively. "I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Hello, Mr. Peltz." Duke shook his hand lightly. "I'm pleased to meet you as well."
The two exchanged a few polite words, then, under Nelson Peltz's guidance, sat down at the same table. Once the waiter served the coffee and left, the polite atmosphere between them instantly disappeared, and the conversation shifted toward the main topic.
"Mr. Peltz…" Duke asked with slight confusion, "I wonder why you asked to meet me today?"
Nelson Peltz smiled and said, "Just call me Nelson."
Duke nodded. "Then you can call me Duke."
He still looked at Nelson Peltz with a questioning gaze, as if he truly didn't know his intentions.
"I heard that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is currently collaborating with several brands," Nelson Peltz said with a faint smile. "For a full-scale promotional campaign?"
That was no secret. Duke nodded directly. "That's right. Every major Hollywood blockbuster does that."
Nelson Peltz spoke sincerely. "My company's brand, Snap Beverage, would also like to join this collaboration."
This was Star Wars—to partner with such a project would require not only real money but also a massive investment.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Duke understood that well, so he asked straightforwardly, "Nelson, what's your condition?"
"I heard that the female lead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens hasn't been finalized yet?" Nelson Peltz said as tactfully as possible. "Duke, could you perhaps give serious consideration to the choice of your female lead?"
By this point, Nelson Peltz's intentions were completely clear.
"Sorry, Nelson." Duke shook his head slightly. "Your information is a bit outdated. In fact, I've already finalized the female lead."
This wasn't an excuse. After holding the third round of auditions for the female lead a few days ago, Duke had officially decided that British actress Daisy Ridley would play the lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Nelson Peltz frowned. "May I ask who the final choice is?"
The news would soon be officially announced to the public as part of Lucasfilm and Warner Bros.' promotional campaign, so Duke saw no reason to hide it. "An actress from the United Kingdom."
Although Nelson Peltz had known that his daughter's chances of winning were slim, he had still held onto a sliver of hope. But upon hearing that the actress was British, he knew immediately that Nicola Peltz had been eliminated.
Still, as a seasoned business magnate, he quickly thought of another approach and said, "Snap Beverage can become the main sponsor of Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Duke smiled but said nothing. Instead, he lifted his coffee cup.
Snap Beverage, with its stylish and unconventional branding, had gained a leading position in the market. It was a high-end drink rather than a mass-market product. Duke doubted its promotional impact, and besides, replacing the female lead for a sponsorship deal was absolutely not worth the risk.
When had his blockbusters ever lacked sponsors?
Seeing Duke raise his coffee cup, Nelson Peltz realized that these conditions hadn't moved him. That was within expectations—after all, the man before him was one of Hollywood's top directors. If he could be swayed so easily, he wouldn't have achieved his current status.
Before coming, Nelson Peltz had done his homework. He knew that Hollywood had been suffering from a capital shortage since 2008—funding was the most indispensable foundation for a successful film.
"I personally want to—"
But before Nelson Peltz could finish, Duke set down his coffee cup and raised his hand to interrupt him. "Nelson, let me remind you of one thing—this is my movie. This is Star Wars"
Nelson Peltz was instantly speechless and couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
Yes, this was Duke Rosenberg's movie, and at the same time, it was part of the Star Wars series. How could such a project possibly lack investors? Trying to win over Duke Rosenberg with investment was a completely unrealistic idea…
Just like how a female actor can't win a lead role merely by taking off her clothes, trying to secure the heroine's part through partial investment in Hollywood—especially in a massive commercial production—isn't a reliable approach either.
Take a film of Star Wars' caliber for example. How much could Nelson Peltz personally invest?
Duke knew a bit about this billionaire from New York. He had ranked 360th on last year's Forbes Global Billionaires List, with a net worth of around 1.1 billion USD.
But that 1.1 billion wasn't liquid cash—it represented all his assets. In that case, how much could Nelson Peltz actually invest personally? Probably just eight figures. And if Star Wars: The Force Awakens succeeded, how much profit could it generate?
Even Nelson Peltz's entire fortune combined wouldn't compare!
Compared with Peltz's potential tens of millions in investment, the risk of replacing a heroine who wasn't suitable for the role was enormous.
As a seasoned businessman, Nelson Peltz naturally understood by now that there was no point in continuing the conversation. Duke's attitude was very clear—his daughter Nicola Peltz had absolutely no chance of landing the lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
A hint of disappointment appeared in Nelson Peltz's eyes.
But when Duke heard that Peltz was willing to invest for his daughter's sake, his mind immediately shifted in another direction. Nicola Peltz's profile had already been forwarded to Michael Bay, and the rich second-generation actress, who had started as a child star, had even attended an audition—though her performance hadn't been very impressive.
The budget for Transformers 4 was nothing like that of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. To save money, Michael Bay was even planning to skip animating the transformation sequence of Megatron's reborn form, Galvatron—something that would definitely attract heavy criticism from fans.
For the sake of the entire series, Duke had originally planned to invest additional funds himself. But now, he had found a more suitable option.
Just as Nelson Peltz was about to exchange a few polite remarks and take his leave, Duke suddenly spoke up. "Neil, actually, I'm quite optimistic about Miss Nicola Peltz's future. It's just that her temperament and appearance don't fit the requirements or the setting for the heroine of Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Upon hearing Duke's words, Nelson Peltz immediately swallowed back the words he had almost said. Being acknowledged by Duke Rosenberg himself—just that news alone, once it spread, would greatly increase Nicola Peltz's value and fame, and might even help her land a major acting contract.
"I've recommended Miss Nicola Peltz to Michael Bay, the director of Transformers 4…" Duke paused.
Nelson Peltz immediately followed his lead. "My advisors have also suggested that I invest in Transformers 4."
Although that series' reputation had gotten worse with each installment, there was no problem recouping one's investment. On top of that, letting his daughter play an important role in it would make it an entirely worthwhile deal.
Obviously, Duke was trying to kill two birds with one stone. Hollywood had endless tricks for dealing with outside investors. If Nelson Peltz invested in Transformers 4, getting his money back wouldn't be a problem—but earning any profit would be much harder.
Both men had their own calculations.
Once they found common ground, the conversation flowed much more smoothly. Duke didn't go into specific details—those would be handled by Tina Fey's people. Besides, after Nicola Peltz's first audition, Michael Bay had already decided to cast her as the female lead. Nelson Peltz's so-called "investment and sponsorship deal" had basically been coaxed out of him.
For such a globally popular film series, whichever actress played the heroine would inevitably rise to fame. After Duke and Michael Bay removed Amber Heard from the series, the question of who would replace her became a hot topic among both the media and fans.
Originally, Duke hadn't planned to change the female lead. But despite being famous for years, Amber Heard simply wasn't smart enough—especially when it came to keeping her mouth shut.
...
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