Made In Hollywood

After returning to Los Angeles from New York, Duke did not say much more to the media and began focusing on preparing for *Chicago*. The hype surrounding it had completely achieved the intended promotional purpose, and now, there was still a long way to go before the film's release, let alone the start of filming.

Shortly after returning to Los Angeles, Duke's studio relocated near the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank. He rented a two-story small building, and aside from a middle-aged Latina woman who originally handled phone calls, he also hired several other staff members. Since the previous two screenwriters had formally left to become independent screenwriters, Duke and Sophia hired four new screenwriters, forming the studio's only department with real functions— the script department.

In addition, Duke's accountant, David, would send an assistant to the studio twice a week to handle financial matters.

Compared to a real film production company, Duke's studio, which had slightly expanded its scale, was still a standard shell company.

As October approached, *Saving Private Ryan* surpassed $285 million at the North American box office, while its global earnings officially broke $600 million, reaching $600.1 million, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. With more than half of 1995 gone, anyone could see that, following last year's *Independence Day*, Duke was about to claim the title of North America and the global box office champion again.

The global box office exceeding $600 million also meant that the 20% box office share clause in his director's contract was automatically activated. Duke's lawyer and accountant began taking action, frequently communicating with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox to urge them to expedite the payment of his share.

Not only was Duke awaiting the share from *Saving Private Ryan*, but Warner Bros. had also not completed the payment for *Independence Day*. They had only distributed $200 million of the overseas box office to Duke, which meant they had paid him $40 million by mid-October. Warner Bros. again used a $200 million amount as the basis for sharing, paying Duke $40 million.

Warner Bros. did not want to deliberately delay the remaining overseas share, as they had already decided to maintain a long-term partnership with Duke. However, the overseas distributors had yet to consolidate the share into Warner Bros.' accounts, and based on various information gathered, it was determined that this portion of money would not arrive this year.

Duke wasn't short on cash at the moment; his stockbroker was still buying shares of Apple and Microsoft for him. The studio's daily operational expenses were minimal, and the investment in *Chicago* wouldn't be very high, so he wasn't in a hurry for the remaining share.

After discussing with Jeff Robinov, CEO of Warner Bros., and an executive vice president of Time Warner, Duke decided to invest the remaining share into Warner Bros.' financing and stock expansion. In exchange for relevant shares, he would become a shareholder of one of Hollywood's six major companies.

This arrangement aligned with Warner Bros.' needs and served his interests, significantly increasing his influence in Hollywood and film production and distribution.

As for the box office share from *Saving Private Ryan*, the two sides were still negotiating. In the near future, the North American share would be settled, while the peripheral income share would take some time. Aside from television, videotape, and VCD rights, which had little influence in North America, there weren't many sources of peripheral income, which would only generate substantial revenue once the film left North American theaters.

Similar to *Braveheart*, which was still screening in a few independent theaters, *Saving Private Ryan* would not leave North American theaters before the Oscar voting. Even if it were forcibly removed from commercial chain theaters, it would continue to screen in independent theaters in major cities, especially in the Los Angeles area.

The co-producers had a clear goal for the awards season, aiming for major awards such as Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture, particularly Best Picture. With the 50th anniversary of World War II, their publicity and PR strategies were effective, and they almost regarded it as a sure thing.

According to the directing contract Duke signed, he would need to attend several key promotional events if the film aimed for the Oscars. However, since there was still some time until the Oscars, public relations efforts temporarily did not require his involvement. Duke's main focus remained on preparing for *Chicago*.

As the musical film was about to be officially established, key members of Duke's team were ending their vacations. In recent years, including Zack Snyder, John Schwartzman, and Hannah Selina, they had all become some of the highest-paid and top talents in their respective fields.

Duke was acutely aware that in a commercial society, a team maintained through friendship and personal charm was the least reliable. The reason these individuals followed him was that following successful figures made success easier, and they could gain tangible benefits.

Even so, Zack Snyder and Sofia Coppola had both mentioned to him that they would seek opportunities to direct films independently at the right time.

Therefore, after completing a commercial for Estée Lauder, and being satisfied with Anna overall performance, Duke brought Irene Lauder's friend to Los Angeles to serve as one of the assistant directors for the film.

Aside from temporarily adding a musical directing team from Broadway and an art director, the future *Chicago* crew would not undergo many changes. Duke would still focus on assembling the crew around his core team, with Robin Grand serving as the production manager, while he and Sofia Coppola would act as executive producers...

The specific coordination affairs would be handled by Robin Grand, and his first task was to negotiate with Tom Cruise. After a brief audition and costume fitting, Cruise signed a contract for $5 million, officially becoming the first confirmed actor in the crew.

At the same time, Nancy concluded her discussions with Warner Bros., Fox, and Disney. The latter two showed little interest in *Chicago*, but Warner Bros. signed a distribution agreement with Duke's studio. According to the agreement, they would not directly invest in the film but would become the North American and overseas distributor for Duke's studio's next three films, including *Chicago*. Moreover, if Duke's studio accepted outside investments for the subsequent two films, Warner Bros. would have the right of first investment.

This resolved Duke's biggest concern regarding film distribution.

According to Duke's preliminary plan, the film would not have any exterior shots and would be entirely filmed on set. He had considered going to Fox Studios in Sydney, given the tax incentives there. However, due to the lengthy preparation time required for the film, combined with the uncertainty of securing the limited slots available, he ultimately chose Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

By late October, *Chicago* was officially established, with an investment of $20 million. Due to the film's genre, according to Hollywood's practices, the salaries of everyone from Duke as the director to Tom Cruise as the leading actor were reduced to varying degrees compared to *Saving Private Ryan*.

Preliminary preparations, such as script development, set design, and choreography, were progressing in an orderly manner, but casting the actors remained the top priority. The three lead actors would undergo systematic singing and dancing rehearsals in the coming months.

Besides notifying Naomi Watts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Charlize Theron to come for auditions, Duke did not issue any targeted audition invitations. Nevertheless, many actors' agents sought out Duke's studio to promote their star actors, competing for the leading roles, while also introducing their newcomers to vie for other notable dance roles.

Many in Hollywood believed Duke had gone mad for making such a drastic stylistic shift, yet this did not deter many from wanting to join. The reason was simple: Duke was one of Hollywood's top commercial directors. Even if they ultimately did not appear in the cast, merely being associated with his new film would guarantee media coverage, and who knew, they might even land headlines someday.

No one could ignore the allure of a continuously successful director for aspiring actors.

Duke left most agents to Robin Grand to handle, but some managed to reach him through various connections to recommend their actors.

"Go ahead, Riley, what's on your mind?"

Sitting in Duke's new office at the studio, Duke looked at the formally dressed middle-aged man across from him. Anyone who could enter his office was certainly not a stranger; this was an agent from ICM.

"Can't I come by to see an old friend?"

Upon hearing this, Duke said nothing, only watching him. They had only seen each other a few times at parties organized by ICM, and there was no friendship to speak of.

"Here's the thing."

The agent named Riley took a sip of his coffee. "I have an important client who is very interested in the role of Roxie. She has encountered some troubles in recent years and her fame and works have greatly diminished. ICM wants to help her make a comeback with a significant project."

"She can come for an audition."

Although Duke didn't like it when agencies meddled too much in his projects, he understood the importance of relationships. As long as the other party did not overstep boundaries, he could accommodate them to a degree. "Tell me her name, and I will have someone get in touch with the casting director."

"Thank you on behalf of Julia." Riley smiled, sounding genuinely grateful. "Before I came here, Ms. Roberts specifically asked me to convey that if you have time, she would love to have dinner with you."

Upon hearing this, and recalling Julia Roberts' usual conduct during auditions, Duke immediately understood this was a very obvious hint. Unfortunately, that big-mouthed Julia neither fit his requirements for the role nor aligned with his aesthetic preferences, so he could only apologize.

"I've been very busy lately," Duke politely declined."If I have time, I will contact Julie."

He will give Julia Roberts an audition, after all, this is a topic that can be hyped, but he will not let her appear in the film.

...

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