In June, Los Angeles felt like a furnace under the scorching sun. Under the blazing summer heat, several staff members unloaded luggage from two RVs and, under the guidance of the flight crew, pushed them one by one toward the airplane's luggage hold.
Los Angeles had gone more than two months without rain. After stepping out of the vehicle, Duke felt as if the air entering his lungs was burning. Pulling the brim of his hat lower, he took the sunglasses hanging from his pocket and put them on. The glaring sunlight felt slightly less oppressive.
The door of the RV was pushed open again, and Tina Fey walked over with her phone in hand.
"I've already contacted the people over there," she said, habitually standing just slightly behind Duke. "Both the festival committee and Warner's regional office will meet us at the airport."
Duke nodded and stepped onto his private jet. In fact, only he and Tina Fey were heading there.
For instance, Liam Neeson and other members of the crew would remain in North America for press tours and promotions. After all, this wasn't the future yet—the market on the other side wasn't large enough to justify bringing the entire crew. North America was still the most critical base and the largest box-office market.
To be honest, Duke didn't care whether anyone came to greet him or not. However, the destination was a country known for its hospitality and formalities, where welcoming and sending off guests was taken very seriously.
The plane soon ascended into the sky. Once it stabilized at cruising altitude, flight attendants served cold beverages to Duke and Tina Fey.
Tina Fey sipped her juice and said to Duke, who was seated opposite her, "I think we should bring an interpreter. I can speak a little Japanese but not Chinese."
"They'll provide interpreters for formal occasions," Duke replied, unconcerned. "Privately, I'm the best interpreter."
"You speak Chinese?" Tina Fey asked, intrigued.
She had never seen Duke speak Chinese or even study it.
"I learned it for a while in school."
This wasn't a lie. Duke had taken a Chinese elective back in college. Graduation wasn't easy—students needed enough credits to pass. Since he had an advantage, he naturally chose the Chinese course. This also gave him a plausible reason to claim future proficiency in the language.
However, any language becomes rusty without practice, and Duke was no exception. Without sufficient practice, his level was indeed higher than most foreigners, but it wasn't as fluent as before.
Moreover, since graduating, he hadn't used Chinese in any real conversations.
It was a long journey, and sleeping was the best way to pass the time. However, after the plane landed and took off again in Hawaii, Duke found himself unable to fall back asleep. Opening his eyes, he glanced at Tina Fey, who was dozing with her eyes closed, then picked up his laptop and started going through recent emails.
There were a few from Charles Roven. After the completion of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the producer had been in a semi-work, semi-rest mode for the past few years. Since Robin Grande would be tied up with the Harry Potter series for a long time, Charles Roven would continue to oversee Duke's new project.
The new project had already passed Warner Bros.' review. Although it hadn't been officially greenlit, Charles Roven, under Duke's instructions, had begun reaching out to some individuals.
The production team would consist of long-time collaborators, while the outreach mainly targeted actors—especially candidates for Bruce Wayne.
Duke's first choice remained Christian Bale. Charles Roven was negotiating with Bale's agent. But as always, Duke wouldn't pin all his hopes on one person. Ben Affleck, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, and Gerard Butler were also potential candidates.
Duke had even called Leonardo DiCaprio. If DiCaprio agreed to the role, Duke would immediately drop the other candidates.
Unfortunately, as DiCaprio had told him before, after Titanic, he had little commercial ambition left.
Currently, all negotiations were in the preliminary stages. Besides considering the actors' fame, skills, and temperament, budget was also a key factor.
If Christian Bale declined, Duke wouldn't push further. This was Hollywood, after all. It didn't make much difference who played Bruce Wayne.
Once this trip was over, Duke planned to finalize the lead actor's casting upon returning to North America. The reason was simple—whoever played Bruce Wayne would need to undergo extensive physical training and combat preparation.
There was also an email from Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige, the studio president, sought Duke's opinion on the timing for launching Marvel's first film.
After over two years of preparation, Marvel had drafted a comprehensive plan for the future. Given the continuous successes of Spider-Man and X-Men, the management was eager to move forward. They also urgently wanted Duke, Marvel's largest shareholder, to oversee and ensure the success of their first film.
Duke hadn't made a final decision yet, as the new Batman trilogy would occupy most of his energy over the coming year.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy had just achieved tremendous success, and Duke couldn't afford to overlook any details in his future projects.
After reading the emails and pondering plans for Marvel and DC films, Duke didn't realize when he had fallen asleep again. When he woke up, a blanket was draped over him. Across from him, Tina Fey was sipping coffee to stay alert.
"Almost there?" Duke asked, removing the blanket.
Tina Fey put down her coffee cup and handed the blanket to a passing flight attendant. "About half an hour."
Half an hour later, the private jet indeed approached Shanghai Airport. However, like most busy cities worldwide, the plane circled in the air for over 20 minutes before landing.
All clearance procedures were handled by professionals. Once everything was sorted, Duke and Tina Fey each dragged their luggage and walked out of the airport terminal.
As they stepped outside, Duke immediately noticed a prominent banner: Warmly Welcome Oscar-Winning Director Duke Rosenberg to the Shanghai International Film Festival!
A crowd of reporters gathered beneath the banner. The leading group hurried toward Duke and Tina Fey upon spotting them.
"Hi, Phil."
Leading the group was Warner Bros.' Greater China head, whom Duke knew well. He greeted him warmly. "Long time no see."
"Yes," Phil replied, shaking Duke's hand. "You're now the world's top box-office director and an Oscar winner."
He then shook hands with Tina Fey. "Hello, Tina."
Many reporters surrounded them, and the camera flashes went off rapidly. However, security personnel kept them at bay. Phil turned to introduce Duke to two local representatives. "Duke, this is Mr. Ma Liangyu, the vice chairman of the festival committee, and Mr. Li Yuming, the committee's secretary-general."
"Mr. Li, Mr. Ma, this is Director Rosenberg and Tina Fey, CEO of Duke Studios."
"Pleasure to meet you," Duke said in slightly awkward Mandarin. The two officials seemed briefly surprised but quickly resumed their composure, shaking hands with Duke and Tina Fey.
After a brief introduction, the group, escorted by security, boarded three vehicles and left the airport for the city center.
Duke was staying at the Peace Hotel on the Bund. Upon arrival, he exchanged a few polite words with the officials but declined their dinner invitation, opting to rest and adjust to the time difference.
Though his energy and stamina showed no signs of decline, Duke was increasingly mindful of maintaining his health as he aged.
This sleep, intermittent as it was, lasted until the next morning. With several days left before the film festival's opening, Duke wasn't in a hurry to venture out. Instead, he had Tina Fey coordinate with the organizers, the China Film Group, and Warner Bros.' regional office to finalize the schedule for the coming days.
Since he was here, Duke didn't intend to simply make a brief appearance and leave. Although the market wasn't yet booming, he aimed to make an impression on local film enthusiasts and those interested in cinema.
Directors were playing an increasingly prominent role in film marketing, and some even amassed large fanbases. In a country with such a large population, even a fraction of die-hard fans could significantly boost a film's box office performance.
This trip wasn't about the present; Duke's focus was on the future.
"The schedule is confirmed," Tina Fey said, holding a plan as Duke finished freshening up. "You'll first attend the festival's opening ceremony."
That wasn't surprising. Amid the intense global anti-terrorism efforts, Sino-American relations were in a relatively amicable phase. If not for his film being screened as part of the festival, Duke believed the organizers would have invited him to join the jury.
"Next, there's a U.S.-China film forum and an official banquet jointly hosted by the Shanghai municipality and the China Film Group."
Tina Fey noticed Duke showed no objections and continued. "Finally, there's a TV interview and a university lecture."
The two parties had previously communicated. Tina Fey was making the final confirmation. "For TV appearances, you can choose between a national talk show and one hosted by a former U.S. exchange student. As for universities, three have sent formal invitations…"
Without hesitation, Duke said, "Decline the national TV program."
This wasn't out of bias but rather political correctness. As a mainstream Hollywood director, it would be unwise to accept such an interview.
"What about the universities?" Tina Fey mentioned the three names.
"We're not going to Beijing," Duke decided after a moment. "Let's stick with Fudan."
Almost all the activities were concentrated in Shanghai, and Duke had no intention of flying north.