Made In Hollywood

Inside the film strip room at Warner Bros. Studios, Anna Prinz left her seat, walked over to the projector, and shut off the power. The small screen returned to stillness. Sitting near the door, John Schwartzman pressed a switch, the curtains automatically rose, and the room was once again bathed in light.

Recalling the footage from the second audition, Duke slowly opened his mouth and said, "Everyone, share your thoughts. We still need to finalize the leading role from the last few candidates."

Due to his trip to inspect Edward Air Force Base, Duke had missed the second round of auditions for the female lead. With Anna Prinz in charge of the auditions, he felt reassured. There was on-site footage available, and finalizing the female lead now wouldn't be too late.

"I think Rosamund Pike isn't suitable," Charles Roven, who oversaw production matters and had a say in the main casting choices, spoke up and immediately gave his reason. "She's British."

Under normal circumstances, a British actress playing a typical American character wouldn't be an issue, but this was the inaugural project of Marvel's grand plan. Charles Roven, being somewhat conservative in thought, preferred to avoid any unnecessary risks a stance that was perfectly understandable.

No one present was British, nor did anyone have a special fondness for British actresses, so nobody objected to Charles Roven's opinion.

"If no one has any objections…" Duke looked around at his core team members and said, "Then we'll exclude Rosamund Pike."

Next, Amanda Seyfried, who had been recommended by regional marketing partner Peter, was also ruled out. The reason was simple she was too young and didn't fit the role of a mature female assistant.

Flipping through the files in her hand, Anna Prinz said, "I also think Amy Adams isn't suitable."

She paused briefly and then gave her reasoning. "Amy Adams is too short, and her baby face makes her appear not mature or steady enough. I don't think she fits the image of a professional woman."

"Gwyneth Paltrow is actually quite good," John Schwartzman suddenly chimed in. "Her demeanor and acting are on point it's just her attitude on set that's hard to deal with."

No one disagreed with the opinions being voiced. Duke gradually came to realize that, having missed the second audition, he had clearly missed something important. Anna Prinz, Charles Roven, and John Schwartzman seemed to have a shared favorite.

"Go ahead." Duke directly looked at Anna Prinz. "Who's the one you all prefer?"

"Rachel McAdams," Anna Prinz answered and gave her reasoning as well. "In terms of acting, appearance, and personal aura, she all fits Pepper Potts' character perfectly. The only issue is her hair color. But she's agreed to dye it honey blonde."

The others all nodded in agreement one after another.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Duke once again recalled Rachel McAdams' audition footage. Although the actress wasn't American, she was North American. The relationship between the U.S. and Canada both officially and among the public was very close. They often used "North America" as a joint term, especially in the film industry. There has never really been a Canadian film market, only a North American one.

After considering all aspects, Duke finally said, "Let's go with her. Charles, start negotiations with her as soon as possible."

With that, the final key cast member was confirmed, and the footage review meeting was declared over. As Duke and the others left the room, John Schwartzman walked beside him. The cinematographer, who had recently resolved to lose weight, actually looked a bit slimmer.

The two of them chatted as they walked, discussing matters related to cinematography.

"John, according to my vision, there will be some scenes in the film where Tony Stark is recording himself."

Seeing Anna Prinz walk over from the other side, Duke couldn't help but raise his voice slightly and said, "We'll use a first-person perspective to show Tony Stark's process of making and testing the Iron Man suit."

"Don't worry." John Schwartzman was full of confidence. "That's a piece of cake for me."

For one of Hollywood's top cinematographers, this truly wasn't difficult. Duke's decision to shoot it this way was also to enhance audience immersion.

Immersion is crucial for superhero films.

What the audience experiences isn't just the story and special effects they need to follow the characters on screen and feel like they're saving the world together.

As he walked, Duke continued to give instructions. "We also need to change the cinematographic style. For all scenes where the Iron Man suit appears, I want the camera to have a metallic texture."

"I'll find a way to make it happen." John Schwartzman nodded. "Give me a week, Duke, and you'll see the results."

Duke had always trusted John Schwartzman, who had worked with him for over a decade. After leaving the sound stage, their conversation gradually drifted away from work-related matters.

Once outside, John Schwartzman glanced up at the scorching sun. July's sun had baked California's air like a steam oven. Tugging at his oversized T-shirt, he suddenly said to Duke, "Actually, during the second audition, I thought of someone even more suitable for Pepper Potts than Rachel McAdams."

Turning his head, Duke couldn't help but glance at John Schwartzman in confusion.

Walking on Duke's other side, Anna Prinz asked curiously, "Who is it, John? Why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"It's not that I didn't want to bring it up, it's that we simply can't get her." John Schwartzman showed a strange smile, deliberately keeping them in suspense for a moment before saying, "Anna, what do you think of Tina?"

Anna Prinz couldn't help but roll her eyes. That was indeed a very suitable choice; she would only need to play herself. But what could they possibly offer to get Tina Fey? If she had wanted to be an actress, she probably would've already become a Hollywood star.

Reaching out to tap John Schwartzman, Duke couldn't be bothered to respond and directly got into the driver's seat of an electric cart. Once Anna Prinz and Charles Roven, who was behind them, got on, he started the vehicle and drove out of the Warner Bros. studio lot. At the parking lot, they switched to a business vehicle and headed toward Hollywood. They were scheduled to meet representatives from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, since the film was set to shoot on location in the Hollywood area.

In the past film, the battles were confined to Stark's factory vicinity, but Duke had shifted the setting away from New York and brought it to the greater Los Angeles area on the West Coast. Naturally, he needed to destroy some well-known West Coast landmarks.

The Golden Gate Bridge was a bit too far, and Las Vegas wasn't close either. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was undoubtedly a great option.

Of course, the shooting was only for location footage. The actual destruction scenes would all be CGI composites created by Industrial Light & Magic.

The film's special effects were divided into two parts: all prop-related and standard computer effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic, while the live-action motion capture for Tony Stark was assigned to Weta Workshop, which had more expertise in that area.

After meeting with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, they did a thorough tour around the Walk of Fame. In recent years, Duke had been extremely busy with work and life, and it had been a long time since he'd strolled through Hollywood so attentively. Their group specifically drove around Highland Commercial Center and near the TCL Chinese Theatre to get a better look. If nothing unexpected happened, this would likely be the area affected by the battle between Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane.

However, these would just be secondary battlefields. The ultimate showdown between the two opposing forces would still return to the arc reactor for its climax.

"Director Rosenberg…"

As they were preparing to leave the Chamber of Commerce's office, one of the officials came over specifically and asked, "Are you interested in the Walk of Fame?"

The man was referring to the stars on the Walk of Fame. Duke naturally understood and smiled, replying, "Mr. Paul, how many stars are you planning to award me?"

Just as the official froze for a moment, Duke took his leave from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

If this were twenty or even ten years ago, getting a star on the Walk of Fame would have been hugely attractive to anyone striving in Hollywood. Back then, applying to the Chamber was a dazzling honor, enough to blind people with its brilliance.

But starting in the late '90s, major Hollywood stars, directors, screenwriters, and producers gradually lost interest in applying for stars through the Chamber. Even top-tier celebrities had little enthusiasm for it anymore. Most well-known stars who appeared in the news for getting a star did so only when their movies or albums were being heavily promoted. The Walk of Fame was no longer a symbol of glory but had become a commercial promotion tool.

In fact, no one could be blamed for this—it was the Chamber's own doing. No one knew exactly when it started, but as long as you paid the association a certain fee, you could get a star on the Walk of Fame. Although the location might not be great, this was completely different from the regular maintenance fees stars usually paid. This purely commercial practice had undermined the significance the Walk of Fame once held.

For someone at Duke's level, having a name on the Walk of Fame was entirely optional. Forget about applying—if the location wasn't good enough, even if the Chamber invited him directly, he would refuse without hesitation.

In fact, this behavior had become increasingly common in recent years. Many top-tier stars and directors had turned down the Chamber's invitations.

Of course, if the Chamber was willing to give him stars for each of his roles as screenwriter, director, editor, and producer—Duke might actually consider it.

After leaving the Hollywood area, Duke and Charles Roven went to the Hughes Aircraft Plant, where several hangars had recently been converted into massive sound stages.

Following the production of Batman Begins, which built sets and shot scenes here, Duke had also placed parts of the Iron Man set inside these hangars. The most important was the cave where the terrorists imprisoned Tony Stark.

Duke led a highly experienced team, and the entire pre-production process was proceeding in an orderly and efficient manner.