Made In Hollywood

Since its simultaneous release in early June in both China and the United States, Taken had screened globally for six months and finally ended its theatrical run in early December in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film concluded its journey with a North American box office gross of $235.78 million, and though the earnings afterward were not particularly high, it still brought in $34.78 million.

However, this $34.78 million was enough to push Taken past the $500 million mark worldwide, with a final global box office total of $517.54 million.

For a film with a production cost of only $40 million, the profit could truly be described as astronomical.

But Warner Bros. did not intend to stop there. They soon negotiated with Duke, preparing to find a new team to produce a sequel to the film.

Probably inspired by the profits and influence generated by The Matrix spin-off animations, before the new sequel film, Warner Bros.' television department planned to produce a series of television shows depicting the stories of Bryan Mills before his retirement.

Since the timeline would shift quite a bit earlier, the show would inevitably feature a brand-new cast. And to get a popular actor like Liam Neeson to star in a TV series was simply impossible even if he agreed, it would only come after paying an unimaginably high price.

Perhaps many popular film stars would make guest appearances in hit TV shows like the long list of cameos in Friends but few actors whose careers were on the rise would be willing to star in a television series.

On the contrary, those TV stars with massive income and fame often squeezed their way into the film industry, but those who truly made a successful transition from hit TV series to movies were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Indeed, many film stars did start their careers in television, but with a bit of research, it's easy to find that they only played insignificant minor roles on TV.

Those who became famous through TV series, if they failed to transition successfully after the show ended and couldn't find a way like Jennifer Aniston, who could always bring up Brad Pitt for a few headlines, would quickly be forgotten.

Take for instance the once-popular lead actor of Prison Break after the series was canceled, he was basically forgotten. Even if he managed to get a few film roles, they were insignificant supporting roles at best.

Likewise, aside from a few directors like James Cameron repaying favors, Spielberg insisting on investment control, and Woody Allen whose brain seems wired entirely differently very few film directors who haven't reached a dead end in their careers would truly get involved in TV production. Even when listed as producers, it was often just in name only.

In most countries and regions around the world, the status and prestige of big-screen stars and small-screen actors are worlds apart.

After all, the world has only one Jennifer Aniston.

Not only was Warner Bros. planning a Taken television series, but they also had bigger plans in mind. However, they were waiting—waiting for Duke to revive Batman before producing TV series based on some of DC's second-tier heroes.

After completing an explosion scene in the background, the hangar at Hughes Aircraft was being redesigned, and Duke gathered the actors and moved into Warner Bros. Studios' soundstage to continue filming according to the schedule.

Inside the soundstage, Duke sat behind the monitor, watching Christian Bale standing in the Batcave. Perhaps because he had mostly starred in low-budget indie films before, Bale had little experience acting in front of a green screen. Or perhaps the five-day break had caused his peak performance during the Iceland shoot to wane. Standing in the jagged, rocky Batcave, Christian Bale failed to convey that feeling of Bruce Wayne's reunion with the bats.

"Cut!"

Duke called for a stop, left the monitor, walked into the temporary set, stepped onto the polystyrene rock floor, and approached Christian Bale. Bale tilted his head slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing that he was thinking, Duke didn't speak either and walked a circle around the Batcave. He hoped Bale could quickly regain his form. The bats would be added in post-production he couldn't possibly catch hundreds of bats and release them here.

Even if he did, they wouldn't follow commands.

Once Bale came to his senses, Duke returned and said directly, "Christian, this is a very symbolic scene. Bruce Wayne, from fearing bats to standing tall and dancing with them, this is a major psychological shift for him. Fear gives him strength he is about to become the embodiment of fear!"

"I understand, director," Christian Bale replied. "I'll adjust quickly."

Back in Iceland, he'd communicated enough about the character with Bale and Neeson, so Duke said no more and returned to his director's monitor.

He gave Christian Bale ten minutes to adjust. Once time was up, Duke told the script supervisor, "We can begin."

"Scene Forty-Seven, Take One," the script supervisor held the clapperboard in front of the main camera lens, "Starting now!"

Christian Bale walked into the Batcave, lowered his head to turn on the glowstick, then looked up with the light's reflection. He closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, as if facing something terrifying, even crouching down in fear. However, thanks to Henry Ducard's training in the Himalayas, both physically and mentally, he could now bravely face his inner fear.

Although there were no bats present, Christian Bale performed significantly better than the previous take. He slowly stood up, faced his fear, and rose courageously, arms spread wide, head slightly raised. All past shadows seemed to vanish at that moment, a man who coexisted with darkness stood tall!

"Great!"

Duke praised him with a word, but before Christian Bale could relax, he added, "You did well, but I believe you can do even better. Take five minutes and then continue this scene!"

In the actors' rest area, Liam Neeson, already in makeup, stood beside Tina Fey. After watching for a while, he rubbed his chin and said, "Looks like Duke and Christian have found a connection."

"Mm." Tina Fey nodded in agreement. "He's usually not too demanding with actors' performances. As long as they're above the passing line, he'll let it go. This film is an exception."

Indeed, Duke had taken a stricter-than-usual approach in demanding better acting performances.

Compared to his previous films, the Batman trilogy had less dense and less intense action scenes. If the actors' performances were mediocre, the dramatic scenes—especially those involving character development would magnify the flaws and affect the entire film.

If Bruce Wayne was like Legolas, only showing off during fights and acting as background in dramatic scenes, Duke would not be pushing Christian Bale this hard.

For this scene, in which Bruce Wayne rises from his fear, Duke had filmed five takes intermittently before finally shouting, "Pass."

Afterward, Christian Bale went for makeup while Duke took the crew to a nearby set to shoot a scene between Liam Neeson and Christian Bale.

Much like the dynamic between Joker and Batman, the peculiar relationship between Bruce Wayne and Henri Ducard was also a major highlight of the film.

This scene involved Henri Ducard using a hallucinogen extracted from the blue flower, combined with field training, to guide Bruce Wayne in overcoming his inner fear.

Though it included some action, the action elements were nearly negligible Liam Neeson's tone and lines were the key focus.

"Feel how fear blurs your senses, how its power twists your mind and body, taking control of everything only then will this power of fear belong to you. Embrace your deepest fear, Bruce!"

Since the scene was being filmed in a soundstage, Duke opted for on-site audio recording. Liam Neeson's voice fluctuated unpredictably, like a messenger from the shadows. "Merge with the dark force of fear! Focus completely! Put your heart into it! Control your entire being at will…"

Though actors' performances weighed heavily in the shoot, Duke was also doing his best to motivate both Liam Neeson and Christian Bale and to adjust their conditions. Actors' performance states could fluctuate when both were in form, shooting progressed swiftly. But when their states dropped, it was often hard to complete even a single day's plan.

Throughout December, aside from his trip to New York to spend Christmas with his mother, Duke spent his time filming back and forth between Warner Bros. Studios and Hughes Aircraft Factory. Starting in mid-December, Liam Neeson and Christian Bale entered their best phase. By the time 2004 ended and 2005 began, filming was already about a week ahead of schedule.

If things continued at this pace, all scenes could be wrapped before the end of January 2005.

Of course, some of the remaining scenes still posed challenges. Because only one prototype vehicle was available, the other Batmobiles wouldn't arrive until the new year. All high-speed Batmobile chase scenes were left for last. One major chase scene even required on-location shooting in downtown Chicago.

Right after the 2005 New Year, eight Batmobiles and models custom-made by Lamborghini were delivered to Los Angeles and sent straight to the hangars at Hughes Aircraft Factory.

Just as Duke requested, the few operational Batmobiles were all monster-level vehicles. He even test-drove a few himself to feel the thrill of being Batman. Though the Batmobiles weren't very refined and appeared a bit rough, they were absolutely packed with cool factor.

Lamborghini and Warner Bros. also planned to release a consumer version of the Batmobile after the movie's premiere.

Of course, this would be a watered-down version. After all, the ones used by the crew weren't suitable for long-term driving each mile consumed as much as a gallon of fuel!

As the short New Year holiday ended, Duke led the crew and eight Batmobiles to Chicago.