Chapter 517: Rebuilding Gotham - "Rebooting Batman?"

In the Warner building's newsroom, one reporter looked at Duke and the Warner press officer, and said to another reporter, "This is really not a good choice. Is that right, Tony?"

"For other directors, this is a terrible decision. But he's different, Jarvis."

The reporter named Tony said, "Who else but Duke Rosenberg!"

Hearing the discussion from the two colleagues in front, Sarah from the Los Angeles Times couldn't help but sigh to herself.

Rumors had been circulating in Hollywood that Duke Rosenberg wanted to reboot Batman with Warner Bros. When Sarah had heard about it, she was also quite surprised. With so many choices, he chose the most difficult one.

In recent years, superhero films had gradually risen in popularity. For superheroes, it was an unprecedented golden age. However, the successful superhero works all had one thing in common—produced by Marvel!

When was the last time DC's superheroes ruled the big screen? That would go back to 1989 with Tim Burton's Batman, which is still regarded as the best Batman film ever. Could he surpass that?

If it were another director, Sarah would certainly have given a negative answer. But seeing the familiar face in front of her, she believed that all of this would not be difficult.

Duke Rosenberg would definitely be able to save Batman! This was Sarah's true thought, and it came from his past numerous successes.

Hollywood is a place heavily reliant on formulas. For example, at this press conference, after going through the usual procedures, the conference moved to the most important segment—questions from reporters.

As a famous supporter of Duke, Sarah was the first to be called upon by the press officer. She stood up and asked, "Director Rosenberg, can you give us a glimpse of the new Batman's general plot and theme?"

The microphone was already in front of Duke. He lightly nodded and said, "The new film is temporarily titled Batman: The Moment of War. It tells the story of Bruce Wayne's quest to eliminate the evil forces in Gotham City. He travels the world seeking solutions, and we will follow his journey to becoming Batman. This is the first film about the Dark Knight to offer a perspective from outside Gotham City. Audiences will get to see how the world views Gotham. I plan to merge it with great cities like London, New York, and Paris."

Jarvis became the second reporter to ask a question, "Duke, as we all know, Gotham is a fictional city, and each director has depicted it differently. How do you plan to shape Gotham?"

"Duke, how do you plan to shape Gotham City?" Jarvis asked.

"A more exaggerated version of modern New York, a sprawling metropolis that makes you feel suffocated. It pulls you in. It makes you feel vast and boundless," Duke shared his vision of Gotham, "I want the audience to feel that Gotham is a place both familiar and dangerous."

He thought for a moment and then emphasized, "My definition of Gotham is 'New York cubed.' To capture this essence of the city, the film will use as much live-action shooting as possible."

Duke had already decided on the location for Gotham's exterior scenes. It wasn't New York, as he mentioned, but another famous city in the U.S. known for its crime—Chicago!

The city's exterior scenes would be filmed as much as possible in real locations. But when CGI was needed, Duke wouldn't hesitate. He wasn't Christopher Nolan, who insisted on shooting all scenes with real locations or models. With today's advanced computer graphics, the costs of CGI were steadily decreasing, making it more cost-effective and time-efficient than using props and models.

Additionally, Duke had started familiarizing himself with digital equipment since last year. From the Batman trilogy, he had been preparing to abandon film and fully transition to digital technology. Not just shooting, but editing and production would also be entirely digital.

He was never a film purist and had never resisted advanced technology.

Just as sound films replaced silent films and color films replaced black-and-white films, the rise of digital technology was inevitable, and no number of directors could change that.

Like James Cameron, Duke was more inclined towards new filmmaking technologies. People like him would never dwell on past glories.

The changing of the old and new is a timeless theme in this world.

Soon after the press conference, major media websites updated their related content. Most of the media were taking a wait-and-see approach to Duke's new film.

"Duke Rosenberg's commercially driven filmmaking style, opting for an even more commercialized film, isn't surprising, but is rebooting the Batman franchise too risky?"

—The New York Times

"Instead of choosing Batman, he might have been better off handling a Marvel superhero film. That would have been much easier to succeed!"

—The Hollywood Reporter

Compared to the media, Duke's fans were generally supportive. They shared their thoughts enthusiastically on instant-sharing websites.

"If anyone can save Batman, it's definitely Duke!"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what Duke's Batman will be like!"

"Once Batman is in Duke's hands, it will be an epic film!"

No matter what the media or fans thought, nothing would stop Duke from proceeding with his planned preparations.

Charles Rowen continued to serve as his production manager, Anna Prinz was responsible for script planning and assisting with filming as the second director, John Schwartzman, who had become quite overweight, would be in charge of cinematography, Jimmy Carter was responsible for training actors and choreographing fight scenes, Hannah Selena would recreate Gotham's crime-ridden yet grandiose atmosphere, and Joss Williams would handle all explosion scenes.

A well-seasoned and coordinated team made things much easier for Duke, and it was one of the key reasons for his continued success.

"I need actors, Duke."

In the Duke studio's meeting room, Jimmy Carter looked at Duke and said, "I need to train them to look like skilled fighters. It will take some time. The only confirmed actor is Liam Neeson, and he's the one who needs the least training."

Since last year's Taken, Liam Neeson had been training his body, and his condition remained excellent.

"We'll finalize soon." Duke turned to Charles Rowen, "How are things going with Christian Bale?"

"No clear answer yet," Charles Rowen said. "He's still considering."

Duke didn't hesitate, "If he's still unsure in a week, drop him!"

No one in Hollywood is irreplaceable, especially in superhero films. It's always the character that makes the actor famous.

"Anna..." Duke turned to his assistant, "Send audition invitations to Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Laurence Fishburne."

Though Morgan Freeman had gradually recovered from the scandal in recent years, Duke had no intention of using him. Morgan likely wouldn't want to work with him anyway, so Duke had chosen the character of Morpheus from The Matrix instead. He vaguely remembered that Lucius Fox's first choice had been him, and Morgan Freeman had only been a backup.

"And the female lead?" Anna Prinz reminded him.

"Yeah, I know." Duke turned back to Charles Rowen, "Get the word out. We're holding a large-scale audition for the female lead."

Rachel Dawes was indeed just a pretty face, but the second film required a certain amount of acting. Katie Holmes wasn't even on Duke's radar—her acting was just too poor. As for Maggie Gyllenhaal, how many people would consider her a competent actress?

"Charles, you're in charge of the team for now. Anna, handle the script and planning."

Duke turned to the others, "Hannah, John, starting tomorrow, we're heading to Chicago and Iceland to scout locations."

The story's opening scenes took place in the Himalayas, but Duke had no intention of shooting in such a harsh environment. The altitude and conditions made it unsuitable for large-scale filming.

Iceland's Vatnajökull Glacier, Europe's largest glacier, covered one-tenth of Iceland's territory. The rugged, rocky terrain was perfect for portraying the harsh environment in the film's Himalayan scenes.

As for Chicago, the film's close-up city shots would be taken there, with all of Gotham's panoramic views generated through models and CGI.

The brief meeting ended, and Duke returned to his office, preparing for a long scouting trip. Before leaving, he checked the box office for Taken.

It was now early July, and Taken had crossed its fourth weekend in North America, grossing $181.06 million. Although the film's screen count and showings were steadily dropping, its final North American gross of over $200 million was almost certain.

By the third weekend of its North American release, the film had opened in 88 countries and regions worldwide. As of now, including the UK and China, which opened simultaneously with North America, Taken's overseas gross had reached $172.66 million, with a global total of $353.72 million.

It wasn't realistic to expect such a film to reach The Lord of the Rings trilogy's box office numbers, but based on current trends, it would easily surpass $400 million globally, and might even push towards $500 million.

After paying some attention to Taken's box office and communicating with Warner Bros., Duke and his team first flew to Chicago. The filming conditions in the city were relatively simple, and after staying for just four days, they flew to Iceland.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, news about the casting for the roles in Duke's film spread like wildfire. Many actors were eager to try their luck.

.....

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