Chapter 28: I’m Proud of You

"Have the latest weekend box office statistics come in?"

Naomi Watts felt a twinge of irritation at her agent Nancy's question. She was her client, not her personal assistant.

"This is the data I just received from the production team."

Despite her thoughts, Naomi understood her position. She obediently placed the statistics on the dining table in front of Nancy, who had just taken a sip of her oatmeal. As Nancy picked up the report, her drowsy eyes suddenly widened.

"Can you believe it? It's outperformed *Alien 3*! *Speed*'s $20.27 million completely crushed *Alien 3*'s $19.44 million, making it the second consecutive weekend box office champion!"

She looked up at Naomi. "Has *Speed* broken the $100 million mark in North America yet?"

"It has."

Nancy couldn't see Naomi rolling her eyes, but she continued, "If I'm not mistaken, the cumulative box office should be around $100.40 million."

"A director who's only 22 years old has joined the $100 million club," Nancy exclaimed, standing up and pacing around the dining area. "This is an absolute potential star. If his next two or three films perform well, he could easily rise to the ranks of Hollywood's top commercial directors…"

She suddenly stopped, realization hitting her. She recalled an article from *The New York Times* yesterday about Duke, who mentioned that his second film was already conceptualized.

At that moment, Nancy felt she needed to sign him while he was still a rising star! However, his outrageous terms…

"Naomi, help me arrange a meeting with Duke."

Naomi felt reluctant, but she didn't hesitate to act. She walked to the phone and dialed a number. After hanging up, she said, "Nancy, the promotional activities for the production team have concluded for now. If you want to meet Duke, you need to hurry."

In another suite on the same floor, Duke was perusing the newspapers. As the competition in the summer box office intensified, 20th Century Fox had shifted more resources elsewhere. Starting this week, the promotional activities and screening scale for *Speed* would drastically shrink—a market rule every film had to face.

In this era, a North American box office gross of over $100 million was almost a benchmark.

"Duke Rosenberg, a rapidly rising new director in Hollywood…"

"Duke, at such a young age, sent his debut feature film into the $100 million club by destroying half of Santa Monica."

"It seems Duke Rosenberg has an insatiable desire for destruction. In his film, not only did he devastate half of Santa Monica's streets, but he also blew up an elevator, a building, two buses, and a plane. He created a non-typical action film, and perhaps the young Duke can lead a new trend in Hollywood action films."

Today, his name appeared in many national newspapers like *The Los Angeles Times*, *The Washington Post*, and *The New York Times*, as if the media across North America were waiting for his film to surpass the $100 million mark, ready to launch a flood of promotional coverage.

In Hollywood, there were only about ten films each year that crossed the $100 million threshold in North America. Now that a new director's work had crossed this significant milestone, the previously overlooked media would naturally erupt with enthusiasm.

Though pleased to see all the attention, Duke maintained a clear head. If his next film flopped, the media would not hesitate to trample him into the ground and stomp on him a few times for good measure.

Checking the time, Duke put down the newspaper and left his room to meet Nancy Josephson in the café on the second floor.

After expressing enough sincerity, Duke didn't deliberately make it difficult. He simply insisted on not accepting the agency's bundled deals for his films and no interference in his private life; everything else was negotiable.

Their conversation lasted all morning, and they reached a certain consensus on several points. Although no agreements were drafted, they made significant progress compared to their last meeting.

As for choosing an agent in the future, Duke leaned slightly toward Nancy Josephson. Although he wasn't impressed by how she handled Naomi's harassment incident before, the industry's atmosphere was what it was. Besides, he was looking for a professional agent, not a friend.

After finishing his meeting with Nancy, Duke headed straight to Manhattan, where Santa Fia Advertising was producing the annual advertisement for Estée Lauder's Youth Dew perfume. Mrs. Leah had flown to New York recently because this project had been stuck on the East Coast.

Walking into the studio on Eighth Avenue, Duke made a few inquiries before locating his mother's temporary office.

"Mom…"

He knocked and entered. Sitting at her desk, Leah nodded and gave him a rare compliment, "Well done, Duke."

When Duke took a seat across from her, Leah removed her glasses and looked at him seriously. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Mom."

Duke didn't say much. He would always remember everything his mother had done for him.

Perhaps she had work to handle, as Leah pressed the intercom to call her assistant and briefly showed Duke around the studio. He was quite interested in the fashion film for Youth Dew, which was already in post-production, so he made a special trip to see where the advertising team was working.

Entering an editing room, Duke couldn't help but tremble slightly at the sight of the busy ad director.

The director was tall and thin, with messy brown hair framing a signature long face.

Though he appeared much younger than Duke remembered, combining vague memories with the identity of the advertising director, Duke instantly recognized him—this had to be Michael Bay!

Despite his thoughts, Duke wouldn't show it. He stood in the corner of the room, observing the crew handle the dazzling and extravagant images. If he calculated correctly, this was likely Michael Bay's last stint in advertising. He was now among the top directors in the advertising industry and was likely specifically hired by Saint Fia to direct this Estée Lauder ad.

As legend had it, while Michael Bay didn't have James Cameron's talent, he shared the same volatile temperament. His shouts frequently echoed through the editing room, especially directed at a deputy director named Zack Snyder, who could barely lift his head under Bay's relentless scolding.

"How interesting…"

Not wanting to linger too long, Duke left. He hadn't expected to encounter two super directors rising from the advertising world here.

But on second thought, it wasn't surprising. The top-tier advertising circle in North America was much smaller than Hollywood, and Santa Fia's creation of a fashion blockbuster for Estée Lauder would undoubtedly attract top talent from the industry. Since these two had managed to rise in the advertising realm, they were certainly industry leaders.

"Hello, Zack. Can I call you that? Thank you."

Seizing a moment during the advertising team's break, Duke had Zack Snyder called into an office. "I heard you studied at the Pasadena Art and Design School?"

"Yes, Mr. Rosenberg," Zack Snyder replied calmly from across the table.

"Just call me Duke."

Strictly speaking, Zack was older and more experienced than Duke, but the $100 million box office of *Speed* was enough to flip that perception. Duke had no intention of beating around the bush and said directly, "Let's put it this way. I'm preparing for my second project…"

Of course, Duke wouldn't reveal that the script was ready but the investment was still unconfirmed.

"I need a deputy director, someone whose vision aligns with mine."

Upon hearing this, Zack Snyder's eyes lit up, and a hint of excitement crossed his calm expression. What director wouldn't want to become a film director? Why did he enter the advertising world? It was to make a living while honing his skills and seeking an opportunity to break into the big screen.

Though it was a deputy director position, it was a genuine film deputy director role, not just an advertising deputy director, and it was stepping into the mainstream Hollywood film circle. The future opportunities would be exponentially greater.

Without someone to guide him, Zack Snyder knew how challenging this step would be.

The most typical example was the head of the current advertising team, Michael Bay. His uncle was an executive at Warner Bros., yet he hadn't had a chance to direct a film to date.

In Hollywood, opportunities were invaluable.

"Can I ask you what your thoughts are on film visuals and colors?"

As someone who had researched Zack's work, Duke was clear on his strengths.

"I believe there are many similarities between film and painting, especially in composition. If we view a film through the eyes of a painter, the film's visuals can present a unique style."

Zack Snyder knew this was a rare opportunity, and after careful thought, he continued, "I think vibrant oil painting colors can absolutely be utilized in film because the rich and bold colors found in oil paintings can deliver an unprecedented visual impact…"

He emphasized "visual impact" noticeably.

Duke recognized Zack Snyder's established viewpoints.

Though he agreed with this perspective, Duke wasn't ready to make a hasty decision. Every excellent director had gone through a lengthy honing process. Who could tell if the young Zack Snyder was merely a façade?

The two continued discussing various film topics, finding common ground in many areas, especially their views on "visual impact"!

Duke was relatively inexperienced as a director, while Zack appeared even younger. However, after working for several years in advertising and music videos, his relevant experience wasn't an issue, and he could certainly be considered for the list of candidates to be investigated