"This will do, Nancy."
After taking a look around the three-bedroom furnished apartment, Duke nodded in satisfaction and said to his agent, "You can handle the remaining paperwork; I have an appointment."
He checked his watch, waved briefly at Nancy Josephson, and left, taking the elevator down to the first floor. He started his car and drove out of this luxurious North Hollywood community. After turning a couple of corners, he drove onto Laurel Canyon Boulevard, not far from the community, parked in a lot across from a Bank of America, got out, crossed the street, and walked into the cafe where the meeting was set.
"Over here..."
Just as he pushed open the glass door of the cafe, a voice with a slightly nasal tone called out from the right. Duke turned his head, walked over, and sat across from Sofia Coppola, nodding to the approaching server, "A latte, please. Thank you."
"You're late, Duke," Sofia said, removing the baseball cap from her head, revealing her brown hair tied in a ponytail. "This isn't like you."
"Nancy found me an apartment, which took a bit longer than expected."
Offering an apologetic gesture, Duke explained to Sofia, "Nancy Josephson is my agent."
"I know her," Sofia replied, her Hollywood connections far exceeding Duke's. "She's the daughter of Marvin Josephson, the founder of ICM and a former entertainment lawyer."
"You're moving out?" she asked.
"Yes," Duke nodded at the server who brought the coffee, then turned to Sofia, "I can't live with my mother forever."
Sofia didn't linger on this subject and quickly extended her hand. "What about the second script you mentioned over the phone?"
"Here it is..." Duke pulled a bound copy of the script from his bag and handed it to her. "Though Nancy has sent it to several companies, there's still no news about approval. If it doesn't get greenlit, I won't be able to pay your salary."
"I have faith in you."
She replied casually and then turned her attention to the script. Sofia understood the strict approval process in Hollywood. With Duke having one North American box office hit under his belt, as long as the second script's concept wasn't too weak, the chances of securing investment were still pretty good.
She opened the script and, after reading just the first few lines, could tell it was a standard men's action flick.
Time: Dawn. Scene: Gloomy weather.
Wide shot: Six soldiers carry a coffin into a cemetery.
Cut to: A man smoking in front of a mirror, his figure obscured by smoke. A photo of his wife and a Marine Corps dress uniform are in front of him. (Close-up) Medals adorn the uniform.
Voiceover: Gunfire, explosions, brutal combat, panicked shouts— "We can't hold them, General..."
Cut to: (First-person perspective) The soldier is surrounded as the flag is draped over the coffin.
Voiceover: "General Hammer, we request immediate evacuation..."
Cut to: The man in front of the mirror stands, solemnly putting on his dog tags and dress uniform, his chest adorned with medals. He removes his wedding ring, placing it in front of his wife's photo, then straightens his hat.
Extreme close-up: The Marine officer's eyes, filled with determination.
Voiceover: "This must end."
Fade out...
Exterior: Torrential rain.
General Hammer places flowers on his wife's grave and says, "I miss you so much. There's something I have to do... Whatever happens, please don't think less of me."
He pulls a Purple Heart medal from his pocket and places it on the gravestone...
Sofia hardly looked up during the next hour. Truth be told, the script didn't align with her tastes, especially the way female characters were portrayed—they seemed entirely irrelevant. But, having spent over two months on the set of *Speed*, she knew what Duke was like: a destroyer and explosion enthusiast. Writing this kind of script was perfectly in line with his style, wasn't it?
"You weren't satisfied with blowing up Santa Monica, so now you want to destroy San Francisco?" she asked, closing the script.
"If possible, I'd like to blow up the whole of North America," Duke replied, setting down his coffee. "Of course, only in the movies."
"Explosions and fights, using action scenes to stir emotions," Sofia handed the script back to Duke. "That's definitely a Duke-style script."
"But," she added as he took it back, "General Hammer is an interesting character."
"Thanks," Duke said, putting the script away. "I think he'll be the film's biggest highlight."
"When do I start working?" Sofia asked, seeming eager.
"You just got back from Europe," Duke looked puzzled. "Don't you need to take a break?"
"My expenses are high," Sofia made a gesture Duke understood. "So…"
"Fine. We can sign the contract another day," Duke said, also needing an assistant to help with miscellaneous tasks. "As of now, you're working for me."
He opened his bag and took out a stack of documents, placing them on the table, passing them to Sofia one by one. "This is the contact information for my lawyer and accountant. Stay in touch with them; Fox and Lucasfilm still owe me some of my share from *Speed*. This is Nancy's contact information; she's handling the follow-up on this script. We need to stay updated. I'm not entirely confident in her, so keep an eye on things. Also, if you have time in the next few days, post an ad in the papers or with the Writers Guild; we need to hire a few writers. I have two script outlines that need filling in."
"Aren't I supposed to be your assistant for film-related matters?" Sofia frowned.
"Hey, sweetheart," Duke spread his hands. "We don't have a film project right now. Do you just want to get paid for doing nothing?"
"Fine," Sofia collected the documents, then glared at Duke. "But you have to pay me three months' salary in advance."
Most of July passed in waiting for Duke. The script was under review by several companies, including Fox, Warner Bros., and Touchstone Pictures. Duke's note about a minimum production cost of 50 million dollars would naturally make these studios cautious. Even though he had one successful movie under his belt, production companies still needed to assess the risks before committing to such a large investment.
In the meantime, Lucasfilm played its role again. Under their constant urging, 20th Century Fox quickly paid the remaining balance for *Speed*, and Lucasfilm, which had also earned substantial profits from the project, did not delay in sending Duke and Mrs. Leah their shares. As for when Lucasfilm would distribute other film fund shares, that remained to be seen.
"Investing in movies is like gambling. If you strike gold, the rewards are massive."
Seated on the living room sofa, Mrs. Leah flipped through the financial statements sent by the accounting firm, while Duke, sitting opposite, was going through his own documents.
"But if it fails, the losses..." She shook her head.
Still, as a mother, she had successfully helped Duke, and he hadn't disappointed her, bringing in substantial profits in return.
"Investing in movies is risky," Duke joked, in a great mood since all the payments had come through. "Enter at your own peril."
"Duke, there's a Bentley in the garage," Mrs. Leah said, ignoring his joke. "It's yours now."
"Is this my reward?" Duke asked, looking up.
"What else do you want?" Mrs. Leah looked at him proudly. "Just ask."
"Mom..." Duke hesitated, scratching the back of his head before speaking. "Nancy called yesterday. Fox has approved my new film for initial review. Could you co-sign a loan for me at the bank?"
"You want to invest in your own film?" Mrs. Leah asked, looking at him. "How much do you need?"
"Between three to five million dollars..."
"The majority of the shares Lucasfilm transferred haven't been touched," Mrs. Leah tapped her fingers lightly. "How about this—ten million dollars. Duke, when you repay me, I want a ten percent return. If you lose, you'll have to work at Santa Fe to pay off the debt."
"I understand, Mom."
Well, business is business. That's another of the Rosenberg family's rules.
Though he joked, Duke knew his mother was reminding him that nothing comes for free. To earn rewards, one must make sacrifices—lessons she subtly imparted. Besides, she was clearly helping him. Though Duke now had a successful film, getting a loan for a few hundred thousand dollars would be easy, but for a seven-figure amount? That would be much harder. As for tens of millions, that was out of the question.
Of course, he was envious. Who wouldn't be, considering the profits generated by *Speed*? As the director and writer, he had only earned about 400,000 dollars from that massive haul, leaving him feeling understandably frustrated.
Thanks to *Speed*, Duke had gained considerable experience and confidence for his next project. This would also be a film in the genre he excelled at, so the idea of investing in it himself naturally came up.
But the biggest and most challenging problem was funding. To claim a significant share of the profits and ensure enough influence during production, the amount of money needed would not be small.
Once again, it was his mother who solved this problem for him.
According to Duke's plan, if possible, he would prefer to continue collaborating with 20th Century Fox, since they already had one successful project together. Additionally, it seemed that Thompson Rossman had a favorable opinion of him. Duke planned to secure a loan from the bank, ranging from 3 to 5 million USD, and invest his director's salary as well. This would allow him to contribute between 6 to 8 million USD to the film's budget, giving him enough influence over the project.
By late July, Nancy Josephson finally delivered some good news: 20th Century Fox had agreed to begin preliminary negotiations with Duke on his new film, "The Rock."