Chapter 556: The Ultimate Version

Time gradually stepped into June. On June 1st, Marvel Studios, in collaboration with Warner Bros., held a grand press conference in Burbank to officially announce the launch of Marvel's very own superhero film, Iron Man, which had entered the preparatory stage.

Previously, there had been widespread rumors that Duke's next film would be Iron Man. Now, as he sat in Warner's press hall, it was undoubtedly an official confirmation of that fact.

Hundreds of journalists filled the press hall. Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige personally acted as the host. Sitting beside him were Duke, Warner Bros. CEO Doug Walter, the father of Marvel superheroes Stan Lee, and Marvel Comics CEO Avi Arad each a heavyweight figure.

Their presence clearly demonstrated that both the production and distribution parties had placed high hopes on Iron Man.

However, the media's attention was still focused on Duke. After all, he was the most famous person present and was serving as both the film's director and producer.

When the press conference entered the open Q&A session, one journalist after another began to fire questions at Duke.

A reporter from The New York Times was the first to stand up and asked, "Duke, Marvel owns a large number of superhero characters. According to confirmed sources, the reason Marvel Studios chose Iron Man as the first project is due to your suggestion. Why did you choose Tony Stark first?"

"In the comic world, the Iron Man series is as well-known as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. This comic has been popular for decades and has always been followed by readers."

Tony Stark can be said to be the hottest character Marvel could turn to at the moment. With the loss of Spider-Man's rights, there weren't many first choices available. Duke didn't explain further. After briefly organizing his words, he added, "Because he isn't a biological mutant, nor bitten by some insect. He's just an ordinary man, who uses his intelligence to create a suit of iron a greatest invention of mankind."

"Tony Stark is a superhero with weaknesses. And he lives the glamorous life of a playboy, which is why I specifically chose this story as the very first film under the new Marvel Studios."

Duke paused for half a second and continued, "We think Iron Man is a very interesting character. Spider-Man and X-Men have already brought godlike heroes to audiences. The reason this story is well-suited for adaptation is that it touches on social issues and the world we live in. This story is about redemption, and how an ordinary man can transform into a hero but only after facing misfortune can he unleash his strength."

Since the film had just entered the preparation stage, it was not yet time for full-scale publicity. Questions regarding Tony Stark's character settings and such were all passed over to Marvel Comics' Avi Arad and Stan Lee.

The press conference lasted nearly the entire morning. After a simple lunch at noon, Duke left the Warner building and returned to his Duke Studio to begin preparations for the film.

To prepare a film, the top priority is funding. At the same time as the press conference was being held, Marvel Studios had already allocated $40 million in initial preparatory funds.

Without money, even Duke could do nothing.

Iron Man's estimated production budget was $130 million, with the bulk of the expense going to Duke's $15 million base salary as director and producer, as well as the all-important special effects production.

To put it bluntly, Duke's Iron Man would still be a film driven primarily by special effects.

Of course, the charm of Tony Stark's character couldn't be ignored either. The previous Iron Man had become one of the most successful series among Marvel superhero films, thanks in no small part to the lead character's design. Even in the later Avengers, Tony Stark remained the key figure known for his witty and sarcastic remarks.

Among them, Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the character was undoubtedly a major success. Perhaps due to his personality and personal experiences, he was essentially playing himself.

So, Duke's first choice for the male lead was still Robert Downey Jr. Charles Roven was currently in contact with him and his agent. For Robert Downey Jr., who had been mired in drug addiction, there was no way he could turn this down. The biggest point of contention between both parties was Duke's requirement for him to sign a special clause regarding drug use.

But that wouldn't be a real issue. With Robert Downey Jr.'s career in a slump, he had no other choice.

Not to mention a big-budget commercial production like this Robert Downey Jr. was even eager to take roles in some not-so-famous TV shows just to make ends meet. It was only because of his tainted past that many refused to hire him.

Even if, in the worst-case scenario, Robert Downey Jr. was foolish enough to turn down the role, Duke had already prepared backups. This was his usual style—there's always a first choice, but never an irreplaceable actor.

Ever since the rumor that Duke might direct Iron Man began circulating, Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise had both shown strong interest in playing Iron Man. Cruise even considered producing the film.

But with Duke already onboard as a highly paid director, and given Marvel's usual business practices, it was impossible to bring in someone like Tom Cruise, who would demand equally high pay. Moreover, Cruise later picked up a project called Valkyrie, and his interest in Iron Man quickly faded.

That left Nicolas Cage as the backup choice. From a cost perspective, he was quite suitable for Marvel's appetite.

This Oscar-winning actor, who was already showing signs of becoming the king of bad movies, was currently facing a financial crisis. After the Christophe Rocancourt incident back then, Duke had subtly tried to warn him through Sofia Coppola, but Nicolas Cage clearly didn't take it to heart and went down the same old road.

He had once been an actor Duke really liked. All he could do now was this much after all, he was friends with Sofia Coppola, but didn't have much of a relationship with Nicolas Cage. Besides, this was a country that highly values personal freedom and extreme privacy saying too much would definitely backfire.

Although Nicolas Cage's perpetually bitter and angry face was a major issue, he was only a backup after all. And to be honest, it was Iron Man that made Robert Downey Jr.

As for the two most important female roles in the film, Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanoff, the latter was already confirmed to be played by Scarlett Johansson. The former would be decided through auditions.

Recently, well-informed agents had been passing along their actresses' profiles to Duke and his assistants through all kinds of channels. These people were well aware of Duke's deep connection with Scarlett Johansson, and all targeted the lead female role.

Although Pepper Potts was a standard vase role, the number of actresses who had become famous by playing vase roles in Duke's films was countless. Even someone like Charlize Theron had entered the ranks of A-list stars by relying on a vase role.

Duke soon finalized a shortlist for auditions, which included many familiar names, such as Rosamund Pike, Rachel McAdams, Amy Adams, etc. These actresses might not be as famous as Gwyneth Paltrow right now, but in terms of looks, acting skills, and fashion taste, they were not far off.

In short, with Duke's current appeal, finding a suitable actress was not difficult at all. To exaggerate a bit, as long as he lifted a finger, the number of actresses wanting to star in his film could form a line stretching from Warner Bros. Studios to Beverly Hills.

After the project was approved, the script finally settled after numerous revisions.

The script was written by Marvel's comic writers, who were the people most familiar with Marvel's characters. Then, combining the opinions of Stan Lee and Duke, and with the need to align with the larger series, Iron Man's era was moved into the modern day.

As everyone knows, Iron Man was born in the 1960s. The character of Tony Stark was modeled after the legendary figure in the American entertainment industry, Howard Hughes.

In Stan Lee's words, Howard Hughes was one of the most interesting people of that era. He was an inventor, adventurer, millionaire, playboy, and absolutely a madman.

The reason Marvel Comics created the character "Iron Man" was to make a superhero who was different from the others.

At that time, among all Marvel comic characters, Iron Man received the most letters from female fans. Readers of all ages were concerned with the character's human side.

In Duke's opinion, the character of Iron Man was not only widely loved but was also the only self-made superhero in the Marvel series. His superpowers all came from the Iron Suit that Tony Stark created himself.

In the original comics, Tony Stark participated in the Vietnam War, which was later changed to the Gulf War. Now, for the movie adaptation, the battlefield had to be relocated again. Duke chose to set it in Afghanistan—first, to fit the needs of the Marvel Universe plan; second, because as a film aimed at teenagers, the story couldn't feel too outdated. It had to be infused with a sense of modern-day realism.

After the script was finalized, Marvel Comics, incorporating Duke's opinions, officially named the universe space in which the story took place as the "Ultimate Version." The entire Avengers project and the future expansion into space would all occur in this universe.

At the same time, as long as the first movie became a hit, a variety of comics centered around the Ultimate Version would also be released, including those superheroes whose movie rights weren't owned by Marvel.

Like Spider-Man and the X-Men—even if the film rights couldn't be recovered, the comic rights still belonged to Marvel, and Marvel certainly wouldn't let go of the chance to make money.

Apart from that, Duke personally contacted the Pentagon. This film required a large amount of military equipment, and with the support of the military, it would definitely save a lot of effort and cost. Ever since The Rock, he had maintained a good relationship with the Pentagon.

The Pentagon also responded enthusiastically, even sending a liaison team to Los Angeles specifically, hoping to use Duke's film to promote a new advanced weapon they were about to deploy