Chapter 42: Nicolas Cage

"The global box office for *Speed* is approaching $300 million."

In a CAA office, Martin Bob seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Lovett across from him. "As the film's box office rises, Warner Bros. will increasingly recognize Duke Rosenberg's value, which will reduce our leverage."

He lightly tapped the table, considering for a moment. "Duke Rosenberg has left Fox, but he's now clinging to Warner Bros. Warner won't sit idly by and watch their investment fail. We certainly can't resort to excessive underhanded tactics, or else we'll attract the attention of Time Warner..."

CAA had done many things in the shadows, as they could create value without Hollywood's major companies caring much. But if they were to confront a top three media group in the U.S.... well, they would be thoroughly scrutinized, and the other major agencies would undoubtedly kick them while they were down.

"So, are we doing nothing?" Lovett said with reluctance. His feelings about Duke were extremely complicated.

"We still need to use whatever means necessary behind the scenes. When *The Rock* is close to completing post-production, we'll release information about Sean."

The cost of changing the plot or the actors would be significant then, and it would remind audiences who are about to watch the film to make comparisons. Martin Bob had clearly calculated this out. "Also, we need to find a major production to release alongside *The Rock* and completely overshadow it!"

"How's the contact with James Cameron going?" he asked Lovett.

"Well..." Lovett organized his words, as if filtering out inappropriate language, "Cameron said as long as he's working on *True Lies*, CAA won't get near his projects. He would rather cancel *True Lies* than be a puppet for CAA!"

"That talentless director!"

Martin Bob could imagine that James Cameron had likely shouted this rude remark in front of countless people with the most arrogant and furious tone. "Vision determines a person's future. Cameron's achievements are limited to this. After one failure, who in Hollywood will remember a truck driver?"

"We need a project that can suppress *The Rock*, he lightly tapped the armrest of his chair.

"Tom has always been interested in *Interview with the Vampire*," Lovett suddenly reminded him. "This was originally our next bundled project with 20th Century Fox, but it has been temporarily shelved."

"*Interview with the Vampire*..." Martin Bob's tapping grew more forceful. "Fox has lost *The Rocka*, and they must have some opinions about Duke Rosenberg. We can assemble a star-studded cast for *Interview with the Vampire*. This novel has a wide readership base and can completely..."

"Lovett, contact Tom for me... no, you go pick him up yourself." Martin Bob stood up. "I'm going to meet with Ovitz and Thomson-Rossman."

Not far from Century City, in a café in Beverly Hills, Duke set down his coffee cup and looked at Nicolas Cage sitting across from him.

Since their last meeting, Cage's hairline seemed to have receded a bit more.

They had been talking for a while, and Nicolas Cage was still hesitant. Duke said again, "Nicolas, this won't affect your continued roles in art films! It won't hinder your pursuit of an Oscar. If the film succeeds, it could push your career forward significantly. Just think about it—over the next few years, fans even from that reclusive country across the Pacific might recognize you."

"Hey, that's Nicolas Cage! I love his films," Duke said, spreading his hands. "Don't you enjoy that feeling? It's something independent films can't provide!"

Next to Cage sat his agent, who was already interested in the $5 million offer from the crew.

"Nicolas, it's time for us to break into mainstream cinema," he urged.

Not wanting her words to influence her cousin's decision, Sofia Coppola had remained silent since sitting next to Duke. Now, she glanced at Duke and then at the William Morris agent, realizing that even if Cage didn't decide now, it wouldn't be long before he signed the actor's contract.

Her eyes returned to Duke, who seemed calm and reserved. Whether in persuading Warner Bros. to reject CAA or convincing Nicolas to accept the role, he had used the simplest and most direct methods—fame and fortune!

In Hollywood, who could escape the influence of these two factors? Sofia thought she couldn't, and she knew Duke couldn't either.

"Regardless of success or failure..." Cage stood up, extending his hand. "I'll give you a response as soon as possible."

"I hope to hear good news," Duke replied firmly, shaking Cage's hand. "I'm sure John and Sofia are eager to collaborate with you too."

He was never rigid or someone who fit the mold of what Naomi described. At that moment, he did not hesitate to pull out Cage's cousin John Schwartzman and his niece.

Sofia shot a subtle glare at Duke but said nothing.

The project for *The Rock* had been officially established last week at Rock Studios in Burbank. The crew was orderly preparing props, designing sets, creating storyboards, and selecting actors. The actor Duke named, Ed Harris, had already agreed to audition, and Naomi Watts, brought into the crew by Nancy, had also received an audition invitation.

The hardest to persuade was the current artistic young man, Nicolas Cage. After several phone calls with him had shown little effect, Duke finally arranged a meeting with his agent.

If Nicolas Cage still refused, Duke would undoubtedly replace him without hesitation. Cage was merely a first choice, not a necessity.

"Are you sure you want to completely give up on inviting Sean Connery?"

After Cage left, Sofia summoned a waiter to bring two new cups of coffee and sat across from Duke. "Don't you plan to meet him in person and persuade him?"

"Dear, I don't have a 'fool aura' around me," Duke replied, adding a bit of sugar to his coffee. "Do you really think that without Sean Connery's consent, CAA would propose a $10 million investment? Although he's called the most elegant and sexy old man, we all know what he's really like."

"Alcoholic, drug addict, domestic abuser..." Sofia shrugged, stating Hollywood's consensus about Sean Connery. "Rude, impulsive, irritable, and often vulgar."

"Since he refused and still stands with CAA, and we know what he's like," Duke spread his hands. "Why humiliate ourselves by going to him?"

All of Hollywood knew that Sean Connery was the gentleman carefully packaged by CAA, and describing him as the opposite of a gentleman might be more accurate.

"Are you sure Christopher Lee can surpass him?"

Upon hearing Sofia's words, Duke shook his head. "Not sure. But don't forget, Connery has never been known for his acting prowess. I've seen some of Christopher Lee's roles; his acting is definitely not inferior to Connery's, and he has real-life experiences that Connery lacks."

"What?" Sofia asked curiously.

"Warner collected some information," Duke recalled the content he had recently seen. "Lee participated in the war against the Soviet invasion in Finland at the age of 17, then served in the famous British Desert Force 'Phantom Patrol,' fighting against Nazi Germany for several years. Later, he joined a British special operations team, primarily carrying out reconnaissance, espionage, and sabotage missions in Nazi-occupied areas. After World War II, as a spy, he went to Yugoslavia..."

"In other words, Lee is probably the only actor in Hollywood who has actually been a spy. It's not an exaggeration to say that his hands are stained with blood. Importantly, like Sean Connery, he has acting skills that are definitely above the standard line, and he can certainly portray the spy character without any issues."

"This... this can't be fake, right?" Sofia could hardly believe Duke's words.

"Warner used some connections in the UK," Duke shook his head at her. "This has been confirmed as real information."

"If he agrees," Sofia thought of another aspect, "this would be excellent publicity—a former real British spy playing a British spy would surely ignite the desire of many audiences to watch."

"This is also something Warner and I have considered."

Warner Bros. was willing to verify this information in the UK precisely because it had immense potential value. "But now is not the time. We need to save this for the most critical stage of film promotion, especially regarding CAA. If they release information about Sean Connery, we will then launch a publicity offensive regarding Lee. The effect will be better; Lee's fame may not match Connery's, but we can certainly leverage Sean Connery's name for hype."

"It sounds like a public relations position would suit you better," Sofia said with a slight nasal tone, laced with a hint of sarcasm, "rather than being a director!"

"You misunderstood that." Duke raised a finger, shaking it at Sofia. "This is all part of the promotional strategy that Warner set after Christopher Lee agreed to star. I'm merely reiterating."

"In that case,"

Seeing Duke gathering his things and standing up, Sofia hurriedly followed. "CAA's dilemma seems to be resolved."

"Only temporarily resolved."

The character of John Mason would definitely require some adjustments based on Christopher Lee.

Feeling Sofia's hand instinctively resting on his arm, Duke walked toward the café exit. "The final outcome is still uncertain, and we need to be cautious of CAA; they might pounce at any moment."

Although Christopher Lee had not previously played particularly famous roles, Duke had some confidence in him. After all, the future Count Dooku and Saruman were exceptional, and in the realm of 'British spies,' if the first generation of 007 was a lucky one, then Christopher Lee is completely cheating