Chapter 672: Lawless

Once a crew is targeted by reporters, it's not easy to shake them off. Murphy's nighttime filming in Manhattan, with such a large-scale scene, lasting several days, made it almost impossible not to attract media attention. For four consecutive nights, crowds of people with cameras gathered under the streetlights on this street.

However, this also had its advantages. Media coverage and tracking were a form of indirect promotion.

Therefore, Murphy not only did not chase away these reporters but also allowed them to follow the crew to a dilapidated warehouse in the outskirts of New York. He even took some time with the male lead, James Franco, to conduct a joint interview with the reporters to create more buzz.

Near the warehouse door, Murphy and James Franco, escorted by numerous security personnel, approached the reporters.

Since they had been notified in advance, the reporters allowed inside were from quite influential entertainment media, so the scene did not turn into a chaotic marketplace.

With limited time, Murphy and James Franco exchanged brief greetings with the reporters before the interview began.

The first question was directed at Murphy, "Director Stanton, what do you think about working with Mr. Franco?"

"This is an extremely crazy role, and it's a big challenge for James," Murphy said without much thought. "The character he plays is very original, very frightening, and extremely marginalized. It's a very young role, utterly lawless, injecting a lot of primal fear and panic into us, and James has done it to a shocking degree."

Hearing this, a female reporter turned to James Franco, "Has this role troubled you?"

"A lot," James Franco said intentionally. "In the past few weeks, I've been sleeping only three to four hours a night. I can't stop thinking. My body is exhausted, but my mind keeps running. I take two sleeping pills every day, but they only work for two hours."

Then the reporters turned their questions back to Murphy, asking, "Director Stanton, has Mr. Franco met your expectations?"

"For a movie, especially a noir crime film, having an extraordinary villain is a tremendous and necessary boost. It's a rare find."

Murphy did not answer directly but said slowly, "The character James created is definitely a breakthrough for villains. He completely overturns our memory of bad guys, who typically commit murder, arson, theft, and robbery. But he offers a high-quality crime..."

Hearing this, the reporters' eyes widened, and they all asked, "Director Stanton, can you elaborate?"

"No, I cannot!" Murphy refused decisively and then explained, "Because so far, no one has seen the true ending of the film, not even the actors involved. My goal is simple: I want the audience to be constantly excited while watching the movie. I don't want to say anything pretentious or boastful; I'm just doing my duty for this film—the reason it's called a mystery is that it only reveals itself at the very end."

At this point, Murphy stopped talking, leaving the rest for the audience to discover in the film.

The reporters then turned to James Franco, who, like Murphy, gave nothing away.

Since there was more filming to do, Murphy left James Franco at the warehouse entrance and returned to the set. Under Michelle Williams' direction, the shooting site was almost ready.

Filming resumed quickly, but compared to the previous car chase scenes in Manhattan, it didn't go as smoothly. Christopher Waltz and Henry Cavill seemed out of touch with their characters, causing Murphy to repeatedly call for retakes.

The scene had multiple NGs that night, and the crew spent nearly two hours in New Jersey's cold wind. Some of the weaker crew members began to sneeze, forcing Murphy to call the two actors over.

"How do you feel?" Murphy asked Christopher Waltz and Henry Cavill bluntly. "Don't tell me you've completely abandoned your roles during this time!"

Christopher Waltz smiled apologetically, while Henry Cavill's head was covered by a mask, hiding his expression.

Murphy stood up from his director's chair, took the hot coffee handed by his assistant, and walked around a bit before addressing them, "Lynch and Chris Dane have this final conversation because they know if the truth is revealed and the real murderer exposed, the Magician will truly win the soul battle of New York, and the city will lose all hope."

Seeing that both were listening intently, Murphy continued, "If even the recognized hope of New York loses the standard of good and evil and descends into pure chaos—so-called fairness—then New York will develop as the Magician had wished. So, Lynch tells Chris Dane that the public must believe that these people were killed by Chris Dane!"

He first turned to Henry Cavill, "Your character must bear a heavy burden for New York City, becoming the true Dark Knight."

Then he looked at Christopher Waltz, "You are a pragmatist, and for the future and hope of New York, you have to make this choice."

Seeing both of them deep in thought, Murphy gestured for them to get ready, "Prepare yourselves; we'll start shooting in fifteen minutes."

Perhaps Murphy's analysis worked, or maybe the previous NGs served as a warm-up, but when filming resumed, Christopher Waltz and Henry Cavill performed better.

Dressed in Chris Dane's black uniform, Henry Cavill looked resolutely at the somewhat disheveled Christopher Waltz, deciding to bear the heavy burden, saying, "Bring them in now."

Christopher Waltz hesitated, "They will hunt you."

"Yes, you will hunt me, curse me, and set dogs on me because it has to be done!"

Although Henry Cavill's expression was hidden behind a mask, his tone was unwavering, "Sometimes, the truth isn't enough! Sometimes, people deserve more! Sometimes, their faith needs to be rewarded!"

With that, he limped away towards his parked superbike, leaving only a black silhouette for the camera.

Murphy signaled, and Michelle Williams guided the young actor playing Detective Lynch's son into the frame, approaching Christopher Waltz. Waltz slightly moved his body, blocking the view of the person lying on the ground.

"Dark Knight? Dad, why is he running away?" the young actor asked innocently.

Christopher Waltz looked towards where Henry Cavill had disappeared, "Because we have to catch him."

The young actor looked even more puzzled, "But he didn't do anything wrong."

Watching the monitor, Murphy nodded slowly. The young actor, Jett Walnut, performed excellently, perfectly conveying a child's confusion and innocence, which was exactly the effect Murphy wanted.

Children represent purity, their judgment often being the most fundamentally human. In the eyes of an innocent child, Chris Dane was completely a good person.

This ending was rather dark, so it was necessary to give the audience some hope. Detective Lynch's son represented that hope.

Christopher Waltz delivered his final line with emotion, "Because he's the hero New York deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero; he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight!"

"Cut!" Murphy called out, and as everyone sighed in relief, he added, "Still not good enough, we need to continue shooting!"

In the piercing night wind, the crew resumed their busy work. Murphy's demands were particularly strict, leading to continuous NGs for various reasons. The shoot lasted until dawn. After obtaining three satisfactory takes, Murphy announced the end of the night's work.

With all the night scenes wrapped up, Murphy gave the crew a two-day break. When they regrouped, he led them to shoot daytime scenes around Manhattan and Brooklyn, including a New York City police parade. Unlike the LAPD, the NYPD actively cooperated with the crew, and many off-duty officers participated as extras.

With strong support from the NYPD and City Hall, the subsequent shooting progressed smoothly, far ahead of Murphy's schedule. By the end of October, the filming was nearing completion.

Murphy led the crew to Paterson, New Jersey. After months of searching, they finally found a hospital scheduled for demolition, perfect for filming large-scale explosion scenes.

Murphy was not very skilled in live explosion scenes, having rarely dealt with them before. He left it to the pyrotechnics team, who did not disappoint. After James Franco symbolically pressed the switch, the entire emptied hospital was blown to ruins.

With that, the filming of "Dark City" was completely finished. Murphy returned to Los Angeles to begin post-production.

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