"This is fun."
Kazir was holding a remote control, playing with a toy car, and having fun. The toy car was moving fast and Kazir couldn't help but return to his young self.
The car was running around the studio, circling the miniature model of Gotham City.
The toy car that he was also playing with was also not a simple toy car. It was the 1:100 ratio of the batmobile, specifically created for the film.
"Kazir, better be careful... We only have two copies of the batmobile." Enrico Pusi, the producer of this project was worried that Kazir would destroy the batmobile. This toy car was customized and it would take one week to produce one.
They intended to make remote-controlled batmobile cars and sell them to kids but they had to cheaper materials before selling them to the market. The toy car that Kazir was playing was one of a kind, made of high materials that cost more than $5,000.
"Hm? But I thought we had three. I even said that."
"The first one crashed into a wall and the front dented."
"I see."
"..."
Enrico didn't explain that he was the one who broke it. Just like Kazir, he also had fun playing with the car and accidentally broke it. Now, he was worried that Kazir would make the same mistake he did.
"Anyway, how's the pre-production?"
Kazir was busy and he could only visit the studio once a week. The release of Spider-Man 2 was getting close and he had to promote it, attending TV shows and interviews.
"I already contacted the actors. Unsurprisingly, all of them wanted to audition when they heard that you would direct the movie. As for Liam Neeson, he is also interested... Although the negotiation will take some time."
Enrico sighed. Because Kazir wanted Liam Neeson to be Ra's Al Ghul, the villain in the movie, Producer Pusi had to talk to the actor and negotiate early. After all, Liam Neeson was already a certified "Daddy" by the media, Enrico had no fucking idea what that means. He just knew that Liam Neeson was expensive to hire now that he had a lot of fans all over the world.
"If the negotiation didn't finish before the filming, we have to find another actor for the role of Ra's Al Ghul."
Kazir was not picky. Hollywood had a lot of old yet talented actors. Heck, even Morgan Freeman could fit the role. However, Kazir wanted to maintain the original version if possible.
Since Kazir took over the project, Enrico naturally became the producer. Warner Brothers wanted a smooth production and the two had better communication since they already worked together a few years ago.
Warner Brothers and Kazir had a verbal agreement at first about the filming of Batman Begins. Then, Warner Brothers immediately went for the contract signing.
Kazir's side was not greedy this time, perhaps feeling indebted by the help they received.
Kazir's contract was only $25 million + 17% worldwide box office share + 3% peripherals revenue share... That was actually a huge contract, but for something big as Kazir Grey, that was average at best. Only a few studios could get this kind of treatment from him.
"The model is so realistic. It looks nice... Sadly, we have to destroy some parts of it."
Kazir looked at the miniature model of Gotham City. The artists took three months just to make it look like a real city, yet they had to blow it.
Same with the Wayne Mansion and even the Batmobile that Kazir was controlling right now.
However, this was better than destroying a real Mansion or a city... They need a clearance for that.
Christopher Nolan was known for never using CGI, which was false by the way. He used the technology to complement his film. He used CGI, but he never over-relied on the technology.
If he had to use a miniature model to blow up a building, Christopher Nolan would rather do so than let computer graphics fucked up the scene. As for which of the two was cheaper, both were expensive.
Using a miniature model was expensive and time-consuming.
Using CGI was also expensive and time-consuming, the technology was still not mature enough.
For this, why not combine the two? Use miniature models and CGI to make it realistic. This was what Christopher Nolan did.
"How about the real Batmobile? Did Lamborghini finish it? We already sent the design to them a month ago."
"The Batmobile arrived yesterday. It's working. Lamborghini wants to create ten copies and sell them, at a high price, of course."
Lamborghini stepped up and became one of the sponsors of Batman Begins. They also made the Batmobile.
In the movie, Bruce Wayne would use a Lamborghini Murciélago, to promote the luxury car brand. Even the few copies of Batmobile immediately sold out after the release of the movie.
Some luxury car companies actually contacted them such as Ferrari and Porsche but they decided to stick with Lamborghini. In the first place, Ferrari never agreed to customize their cars so the Batmobile would never work with the brand.
"... I'm interested in driving it. Do you mind?"
"Okay." Enrico agreed. The working Batmobile was meant to be used anyway.
*Crash--!!
Suddenly, the toy car that Kazir was playing with crashed into the wall and lost its tire.
"Oops, I mess up." Kazir chuckled and stopped playing.
"... On the second thought, I think the Batmobile needs calibration. You're not allowed to use it. I also have to call the toy manufacturer to send us a new copy of the batmobile toy."
Enrico started walking away, knowing that Kazir might ask another favor. The filming still hasn't started yet they already broke two toys? So yeah, the life-size Batmobile was not allowed to be used by Enrico and Kazir...
Kazir watched Enrico leave and laugh. He didn't have to be scared, Kazir won't scratch the Batmobile...