Starting from the already published Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling began shifting slightly toward a more adult-oriented direction, which did not align with Chris Columbus's directorial style. Moreover, this famous family-friendly director had a typical trait: the sequels he made always had a huge gap in quality compared to the first movie.
Duke's suggestion to hire Chris Columbus was precisely to get the first movie off to a successful start. If the film succeeded, the director would, at most, be known for the first two films.
Since he was leaving the next day, Duke didn't see the need to adjust to the time zone in London. That night, he met with Robin Grand and the head of Warner Brothers' UK branch to meet the film's sponsors.
As the film was set in a magical world, it couldn't feature too many modern-day products, and they had to respect J.K. Rowling's opinions. Currently, the main sponsors were Coca-Cola and Burger King.
However, after more than two years of development, the Harry Potter book series had become one of the most popular children's literary works in both Europe and the U.S., and the film adaptation had garnered much attention. Coca-Cola offered a huge sponsorship deal, paying $120 million for a five-year beverage category licensing deal, and would partner with the Harry Potter studio to promote the series.
After meeting with the advertising sponsors, Duke spent another day on set, exchanging more opinions with Robin Grand, before boarding a plane back to Los Angeles.
In recent years, Duke's Duke Manor in the Malibu Beach Villa area had almost become a temporary hotel. He spent less than a month in total at the manor, while his villa in Wellington, at the foot of Victoria Mountain, had become his main residence.
For a director who was always in the middle of filming, feeling dizzy from the busy schedule was normal. After so many years in Hollywood, Duke had grown accustomed to it.
Since his mother came to Los Angeles, she had stayed at the manor, but since the preparation of The Matrix, the person who spent the longest time there was actually the housekeeper, Emma.
This time when Duke returned to Los Angeles, he didn't plan to stay long. He had originally intended to attend the premiere of Mission: Impossible 2 before flying to Wellington. However, the news brought by Nancy Josephson forced him to stay in North America a few more days.
The reason was simple: Nancy's important female client, Naomi Watts, had a new film releasing the next weekend after King Kong.
Duke had always been very satisfied with his manager, and under appropriate conditions, he would help her. After all, this was a money-driven society, but human relationships still mattered. If you wanted others to work for you, you needed to show proper respect.
"I've got some good news," Nancy said, sitting on the sofa next to Duke. "We've reached an agreement with the copyright holders. They've agreed to sell the film adaptation rights for The Hobbit."
"Hmm..." Duke nodded. "Let's get the written agreement as soon as possible."
He was also aware that the negotiations had dragged on, mainly due to competition from other companies. Without Warner's support, it would have been hard for Duke's studio to secure the rights.
Although other companies might not see potential in this prequel work, the offer was simply a phone call away, and it wasn't a complicated matter.
"And Transformers," Nancy continued. "I've contacted the president's office at Hasbro, and they want me to meet with them."
Duke thought for a moment and then spoke to the other person. "Tina, you stay in North America with Nancy and go to Rhode Island to negotiate with Hasbro."
"I understand," Tina Fey wrote it down in her work log.
Duke still needed to adjust to the time zone. Nancy Josephson didn't stay long and left Duke Manor soon after.
After she left, Duke headed to the fitting room, with Tina Fey habitually following him. Duke turned around and said, "You should rest for now."
Tina Fey, who was also constantly flying around handling various chores, was clearly more exhausted, and fatigue was almost written all over her face.
She didn't hesitate, quietly speaking to Duke before turning and heading upstairs to her room on the second floor.
Duke entered the fitting room and tried on his old tuxedo, but it seemed a bit loose. He took off the jacket and stood in front of the mirror, noticing that he had indeed lost quite a bit of weight.
Because of his previous experience with seeing white people easily gain weight, Duke was very careful about controlling his diet. He almost never ate greasy foods, and with the high-intensity work recently, there was no need for him to deliberately lose weight.
If it weren't for the muscles he had built before, he might have turned into a tall, thin pole.
Although the tuxedo was a bit big and was last year's stock, the premiere of Mission: Impossible 2 was the next day. Duke wasn't one to show off like other stars, so he was too lazy to order a new one. He called Emma to help tidy up the tuxedo, then went upstairs to the master bedroom on the third floor to rest and adjust his time zone.
This was a rare relaxing day. Duke didn't think about work matters at all. By 3 p.m., he changed into a black tuxedo and, along with Tina Fey, who wore a short dress, they got into a Bentley. The driver drove them to the Hollywood area.
The premiere of Mission: Impossible 2 was held at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The success of the first film, combined with Tom Cruise's superstar appeal, attracted a large crowd of media and fans.
Before they reached the red carpet, Tina Fey got out of the car. She almost never appeared in front of the media, and she entered the theater through the side door to avoid them.
Duke walked the red carpet just to support the film he invested in. He usually walked the red carpet quickly, barely acknowledging the reporters and fans. After a routine wave and smile, he made his way into the theater's interview area.
In front of the reporters' microphones, Duke praised Tom Cruise, "Tom is one of the most hardworking actors I've seen. I've visited the set, and for the action scenes, including rock climbing, he did them all himself. He's truly charismatic, and I believe Mission: Impossible 2 will be a successful summer blockbuster!"
When reporters asked about his new project, Duke remained silent. Discussing his own new work at someone else's premiere? He wasn't that foolish.
After leaving the interview area, Duke joined Tina Fey at the entrance of the theater, and with the help of a staff member, they entered the VIP lounge next door. As soon as he stepped inside, many people approached to greet him.
"Hi, Duke."
"Long time no see, Pat."
After handling a few people, Duke saw Pat Kingsley. Then Ino Martin also came over and shook hands with him.
"I hear Harry Potter is in preparation?" Ino Martin said directly. "You'll need child actors, right? I can introduce a few."
"No need, thank you," Duke replied politely with a smile. "Joanne Rowling insists on using British actors, and we can only agree with Warner's decision."
Ino Martin suddenly changed the topic. "Duke, are you interested in collaborating with CAA?"
Now that he controlled CAA, he had to consider the company's interests. "Nancy and I have secured the Star Trek business from Paramount..."
"You know, Ino," Duke rejected him once again. "I'm making The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I won't have time for the next three years."
"We can wait," Ino Martin insisted. "If we can't collaborate on this one, we can work together on the next one."
"Without packaging, you can use anyone you want," he added.
Duke was more diplomatic, "Let's talk after I finish the Lord of the Rings trilogy."
Ino Martin was different now. After saying a few more words, he prepared to leave. Before he went, he intentionally said, "Duke, even though Martin Bob left CAA, I still want to stand with you."
"I feel the same way," Duke smiled at him.
Of course, Duke didn't take these words seriously. The basis for their cooperation had already disappeared!
After Ino Martin left, Pat Kingsley didn't intend to leave immediately. She chatted with Duke for a while, before walking over to the other side of the lounge when someone else came over to greet her.
Duke could sense that not only had the foundation for cooperation with Ino Martin disappeared, but the same had happened between Pat Kingsley and Ino Martin. The relationship between the two major agency moguls was clearly no longer as harmonious as before.
The reason they had collaborated in the past was simply because they shared a common enemy in Martin Bob.
After Pat Kingsley left, she brought over a big-nosed actor and introduced him to Duke. The guy was named Jack Chen and was currently the hottest Chinese-American actor in Hollywood.
Kingsley seemed to want to poach him, so she was especially enthusiastic. However, Duke treated him as he did with other stars, just politely shaking his hand and exchanging pleasantries. Though Kingsley hinted at collaboration, Duke didn't hesitate to reject her. After all, their film styles were simply too different.
Finally, Tom Cruise led the crew into the lounge. Duke greeted Tom and his wife before following the others into the theater.