"Have you read the original book, Cate?" Duke's gaze shifted from the white clouds outside the plane to Cate Blanchett, who was sitting opposite him. "If you have, you would understand why I like Galadriel as one of my favorite characters."
Cate Blanchett, adjusting a strand of golden hair that had fallen, smiled slightly, her chiseled face showing a hint of amusement. "Of course I've read it. It's something an actor must do for preparation. But I still don't quite understand why you like her. I think Aragorn and Gandalf are great, and even if we're talking about elves, Elrond is also pretty good."
"Galadriel has the ability to see into people's hearts. She's very merciful, understanding, and at times, a bit proud and willful."
Duke picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and placed it back on the table, continuing, "She's the leader of the Noldor elves and the last one to remain in Middle-earth. She overcame the temptations of power and territory... and withstood the allure of the One Ring."
"Is there more?" Cate Blanchett asked.
Duke said, "She loves all that is just and good in the world."
Cate tilted her head, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, she spoke, "But I feel like that's not the main reason you like this character."
"The main reason?" Duke gently tapped the coffee cup lodged in its holder with his finger. "Okay, I admit it—the main reason is that Galadriel is a female elf!"
Duke raised an eyebrow at Cate, as if saying "Are you satisfied now?" Cate chuckled softly, her clear laughter making Nancy, sitting ahead, curiously turn her head.
However, Nancy quickly turned back, as Duke was her most important client, and as long as he was happy, the other female clients didn't matter.
"Based on some descriptions in the original book, if we also count the time she spent in Aman..." Cate Blanchett casually joked, "Galadriel should be about 8000 years old."
"That is a problem," Duke pretended to seriously consider, pinching his chin. "When I wrote the first draft of the script outline, I even thought about pairing her with Gandalf."
"Her and Gandalf?" Cate's eyes widened. "Is there any romantic connection between them?"
"No, but there are some parts that can easily lead to such thoughts."
Hearing this, Cate immediately asked, "Which parts? Why didn't I notice this while reading the original book?"
Duke dropped his playful tone and adopted a more serious one. "In Lothlórien, in the Golden Wood, in that forest where few mortals have ventured. Only a few mortals have seen its light—the eternal, radiant, shimmering light. Galadriel! Galadriel! Your well water is renowned for its purity, your white, starry hands shine with brilliance, and the pure, flawless forest is noble. In Lothlórien, in the Golden Wood, in that beautiful forest beyond the understanding of mortals..."
The recitation ended like an aria. Duke looked at Cate Blanchett and asked, "Your Majesty, Queen. After arriving in Sydney, would you like to attend a banquet?"
"Attend a banquet?" Cate Blanchett asked in confusion.
Duke flashed a warm smile. "May I have your contact information? I can give you a call."
After a brief hesitation, Cate Blanchett opened her handbag, took out a business card with only her name and number, and handed it over.
As for the banquet details and when it would be held, Duke didn't mention it because, in reality, such a banquet didn't exist.
Upon arriving in Sydney, after leaving Smith International Airport, Duke first saw off Cate Blanchett before heading to the car that was there to pick him up. Nancy Josephson got into the same car.
"Nancy, I remember many Australian actors have made it in Hollywood."
Upon hearing the question, Nancy immediately nodded and answered, "Yes, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe..."
After a brief pause, Duke added, "Before leaving Sydney, let's arrange a banquet. We can invite the Warner Brothers management, and we might also extend an invitation to the Australian contingent in Hollywood..."
Nancy Josephson immediately understood, "I understand."
Since Wellington wasn't too far from New Zealand, the flight didn't take long. After arriving at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Duke directly met Doug Walter in a meeting room. Accompanying Doug Walter and the other Warner Brothers executives was Zack Snyder, who had arrived earlier.
"Zack?"
After sitting down, Duke first turned to his assistant, Zack Snyder, who was about to work independently.
"I toured around Sydney with Doug," Zack Snyder said straightforwardly, looking at Doug Walter. "I believe we should continue filming the next two installments here in Sydney and at Fox Studios. First, the architecture here fits the needs of the crew. Second, the Sydney City Council has guaranteed that they will provide a newly built highway for filming."
Doug Walter sighed. "I still hope the crew can go to the Warner Bros. Movie World in the Gold Coast."
"But if we go there, what will we do about the highway?"
This was his first time independently directing a major film, and Zack Snyder didn't want any surprises. "We contacted Queensland, but they refused to provide the highway. On the other hand, the highway provided by Sydney is new, and they only charge a nominal maintenance rental fee."
"To rent the Fox Studios?" Doug Walter persisted. "After the Warner Bros. Movie World studios were built, they've lacked a major production."
The argument between the two wasn't new. After listening for a while, Duke raised his hand to interrupt them.
He waved to the side, and Tina Fey stood up and handed Doug Walter a large envelope.
"This is the highway cost estimation I had calculated," Duke said, keeping it concise as Doug opened the envelope. "If we go to Queensland and can't find a suitable highway, we'll need to build one ourselves. Tina had someone calculate the cost based on Queensland's labor and other expenses, and it's estimated to cost around $15 million. However, renting in Sydney would only cost $300,000."
Controlling costs is an essential factor for every business, and as the majority stakeholder in Duke's Studio and a large shareholder in Warner Brothers, Duke couldn't overlook this aspect.
"Also, taxes," Duke continued. "Doug, I understand your desire to use a big film to promote Warner Bros. Movie World, but have you thought about why Hollywood crews prefer Sydney's Fox Studios, with higher labor costs, instead of Queensland, where labor is cheaper?"
Doug Walter put the documents down. "Tax incentives."
"Sydney's New South Wales can offer a 12.5% tax incentive," Zack Snyder added. "Queensland only offers 4%."
"So, Doug."
Duke stood up and walked over to the map on the wall, pointing to Queensland on the map. "What Warner needs to do is convince Queensland to offer more tax incentives for crews going to Warner Bros. Movie World. If they provide the same tax treatment as Sydney, we'll definitely film there, where labor costs are cheaper."
Doug Walter fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.
Zack Snyder breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to get into a dispute with Warner Bros. executives unless he had to. Moreover, there was news that Jeff Robinoff was likely to be transferred to Time Warner as the group president and take over the Warner Bros. As for the CEO position, Doug Walter has the best hope.
Having flown to Sydney from New Zealand, Duke was there to resolve the differences between Doug Walter and Zack Snyder.
Though Warner Brothers had accepted his suggestion and agreed to let Zack Snyder direct the last two installments of The Matrix, they wouldn't give him as much say as Duke had received.
The total investment for the last two installments of The Matrix was $250 million, and they would be filmed and produced together.
Doug Walter also had some objections to this, but he trusted Duke's judgment when it came to movies. His objections were not directed at Zack Snyder.
"Duke, I think we need to speed up and finish the second film first."
Doug Walter seemed a bit anxious as he walked around. "The Matrix fans are crazy. I heard that if Warner Brothers doesn't release news about the sequel in the next two years, fans have gathered in the thousands to protest outside the Warner building. They even surrounded your Duke Estate. If you were in Malibu, they would have chased and blocked you."
Turning back to face him, Duke smiled helplessly. The influence of The Matrix with the enhancements he added far exceeded what it once was, creating a massive group of crazy fans.
"The expectations for the sequel have been pushed to a tremendous height by the fans," Doug Walter continued. "If we release a sequel in time, it will create a market frenzy and alleviate the pressure on Warner Brothers."
Duke furrowed his brows, considering the situation objectively.
"Doug, I have an idea. Warner Brothers has an animation studio, right? We could produce an animated film that complements the world-building, which would satisfy the fans' needs, continue to promote peripheral sales, and also help with the promotion of the sequel."
Doug Walter thought for a moment and said, "That's a good idea. I'll communicate with the Los Angeles team tonight."
After some more discussions on the details, their meeting concluded.
As Duke exited the meeting room, he invited Doug Walter, "I'm planning to hold a party..."