Made In Hollywood

Driving through the beachfront villa area of Santa Monica, Duke deliberately went to see his former home, then turned around and drove to the yacht marina. Just as he arrived at the parking lot, a staff member came to lead the way, guiding him onto the long pier.

Although this was a strictly managed private yacht club, as he walked along, Duke still spotted quite a few paparazzi, who had clearly received related information.

To the media and public, the name Wallace Lee wasn't familiar. Only those within the circle who paid attention to Duke knew that he had been the assistant director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Taken, and that his first solo-directed film would be released soon.

However, Kate Beckinsale had some name recognition. Although she had never made it to the A-list, and calling her a B-list actress was a bit of a stretch after Van Helsing flopped, she had once been popular, and still had quite a few fans and supporters. To entertainment media, she was still worth reporting on.

Moreover, those well-informed knew that she had a daughter out of wedlock, so this engagement drew the attention of many paparazzi and entertainment reporters.

Boarding a luxurious yacht, Duke saw Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale coming toward him. He gave a slight smile and said, "Congratulations to you both."

After speaking, he handed over the gift he had prepared, which was received by a little girl around five years old standing next to Kate Beckinsale.

"Thank you!"

Although he only joined after 2000, Wallace Lee was one of Duke's core team members. Without saying much, Kate Beckinsale thanked him and pulled the little girl over to introduce her. "This is my daughter, Lily."

"Hi, Lily." Duke bent down, looked at the little one, and said, "How old are you?"

The little girl blinked and answered shyly, "Five years old."

"You're very cute."

After saying that, Duke left. Other guests were arriving, and he couldn't take up too much of Wallace Lee's time.

Walking to the foredeck of the yacht, Duke found that most of the guests attending the engagement party were members of his team, along with a few of Kate Beckinsale's friends.

What Duke hadn't expected was that a cameraman was taking photos under the direction of Nancy Josephson.

Seeing his agent, Duke walked over. Nancy Josephson gave a few instructions to the cameraman, then accompanied Duke to the port side railing.

"What's going on here?" Duke rested his hands on the railing, glanced at the cameraman who clearly looked like a media professional, and asked, "You invited media people?"

"We're just taking some photos, mostly of Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale." Nancy Josephson slightly tidied her wind-blown hair and said, "They're not you—they need to seize every opportunity."

She turned around and looked at Duke. "Darling, I guess you forgot. Underworld, directed by Wallace and starring Kate, is being released next weekend. The film had limited funding and needs explosive news to draw market attention."

Nancy Josephson was also the agent for Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale, so taking advantage of such opportunities was part of her job. Duke thought for a moment and understood. Like most Hollywood stars, Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to promote themselves through engagement publicity.

Wallace was in a slightly better position, being a director, but Kate Beckinsale could strictly be classified as a washed-up actress. Trying to make a comeback was no easy task.

If Duke remembered correctly, after Van Helsing, even though Kate Beckinsale starred in the Underworld series, she never truly regained her popularity.

However, now that she was back under Nancy Josephson's management, she might still have a chance in the future.

As for her and Wallace Lee, Duke didn't think much of their relationship.

The reason was simple—this deputy and classmate of Duke's was somewhat like him in his younger years. The odds of those two ending up together were extremely low.

"Duke, if there's a chance..."

Perhaps still optimistic about Kate Beckinsale's potential and the possibility of a good return on investment, Nancy Josephson said, "Give Kate a suitable role in one of your films. As long as she's only starring in small productions like Underworld, she'll never make a comeback."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After all, this was the agent who had worked for him for over a decade, and Duke wouldn't refuse such a small request.

Nancy Josephson, knowing where to draw the line, quickly changed the subject. "I heard the negotiations with Tina have been settled?"

"Yeah, the tripartite talks have basically reached a consensus."

There was no need to keep this matter secret. Duke said directly, "Warner Bros. will fully acquire Duke Studio and Pixar through a combination of cash and equity exchange. To address the investment issue brought on by the acquisition, they'll prioritize my capital in the new round of equity financing."

After thinking for a moment about the specific numbers, Duke added, "In total, I'll probably gain about seven percent of Warner Bros.' shares through Duke Studio and a large sum of capital, and I'll become a member of the Warner Bros. board of directors along with Steve Jobs."

This deal might look like a win for Duke, but Warner Bros. wasn't stupid. Just the rights to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings that Duke Studio held were goldmines.

Simply put, it was a matter of long-term versus short-term gains. From 2000 to now, even excluding box office revenue, various Harry Potter products alone had earned over $10 billion globally.

Moreover, as time passes, the influence of the Harry Potter series becomes increasingly ingrained in people's hearts, and the resulting income grows even more apparent. Although Duke's studio only holds part of the rights, it is still an asset coveted by the entire Hollywood and even the entire American business world.

Besides, this also means that Duke has now fully boarded Time Warner's war chariot.

In the past, Steven Spielberg once proved how important a hugely successful director can be to a company, and throughout Duke's rise, he too has proven his value and influence on Warner's performance.

Steve Jobs was able to profit entirely because of Pixar Studios. And Pixar Studios itself was worthy of attention from any corporate group.

These days, no one would object to calling Pixar Studios the leading force of Hollywood's entire animation industry.

Although the three parties have yet to reach a formal written agreement, this years-long negotiation is approaching its conclusion.

The end of this negotiation will bring another benefit: Time Warner Group, Duke, and Steve Jobs will become a tightly bound community of interests. The parties can then concentrate their efforts on targeting the most promising market on the opposite side, aiming to use Warner World to overtake Walt Disney's Disneyland.

Currently, Warner Group has the DC Comics series, Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings spin-offs, the Pixar animation series, and distribution rights for Duke's planned Transformers series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These increasingly large productions require an immensely vast market space.

Furthermore, Time Warner's products have never been limited to just movies.

Of course, the planned amusement park may also end up being named Warner-Fox World.

After Duke's proposal, and following a period of weighing and consideration, Rupert Murdoch and News Corp have shown a willingness to cooperate.

Although Disneyland has a more prestigious name, the forces gathered on Duke's side—two major media conglomerates—are strong enough to compete.

The engagement ceremony was not complicated. After the routine rituals came a party, and afterward, per Nancy Josephson's plan, engagement photos of Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale were sent to major media outlets and websites, appearing in several entertainment sections the next day.

Perhaps it was because this English rose, Kate Beckinsale, hadn't been completely forgotten, or maybe it was because of the reputation Wallace Lee carried as associate director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Taken, but their engagement still garnered some attention. The Underworld production crew and distributor Warner Bros. also used the opportunity to promote the film.

Since the production budget was only $30 million, the promotional campaign wasn't large. It mainly leveraged the relationship between Wallace Lee and Kate Beckinsale to stir interest.

At the same time, Duke also endorsed the film during promotion. After all, he was one of its investors.

He even posted his opinion about the film on Instant Share: "Underworld is unlike any previous vampire or werewolf film. It systematically explains the origins of vampires and werewolves and the centuries of hatred and blood feud between them. For audiences who enjoy this genre, it's definitely worth a trip to the theater."

Perhaps the advance buzz was enough, and the film's quality was reasonably decent. When Underworld premiered in North America in mid-November, it earned more than $27.5 million in its opening weekend. For a film with a $30 million production budget, that was a pretty good start.

Although the film could only be considered a niche movie close to a B-grade production, it received favorable responses from its target audience. A film like this could never become a mainstream hit, but as long as it attracts enough of its core viewership, it's enough to turn a profit.

By Thanksgiving, Underworld had already grossed over $50 million in North America. Despite the genre's tendency to quickly burn through its popularity, the box office alone had recovered its costs. Subsequent television and home video rights would essentially be pure profit.

As a result, the sequel was naturally put on the agenda.

Kate Beckinsale also managed to shake off some of her bad luck from the past few years. Among fans who liked Underworld, she even earned the nickname "Goddess of the Night."

.....

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