Leveraging the momentum from the Oscars, 20th Century Fox once again promoted Murphy as a director to attract audience attention to his latest project. With Murphy recently winning the Best Director Oscar, he naturally drew a significant following of fans. The Oscars' halo effect was always very apparent.
Additionally, under the push from Murphy and Carla Faith, 20th Century Fox reactivated viral marketing. This marketing strategy wasn't suitable for every film. For instance, "Diego Ross" barely used it. Viral marketing required the right medium, and "Dark City" was undoubtedly a perfect fit for it.
Even though "Dark City" was still in the preparation stage, viral marketing needed time to ferment.
In mid-April, 20th Century Fox released the first official character poster. Its impact shattered the previous silence around the project, making "Dark City" a hot topic once again.
At the same time, 20th Century Fox also launched the official website for "Dark City."
Initially, when people visited the homepage, they found most of it covered in darkness with only a strange background sound, resembling a mysterious chant.
These elements were quite baffling. If the website hadn't featured Murphy's image and the "Dark City" official title, many would have thought it was a prank.
However, after the Oscars, Murphy's fanbase had grown significantly more dedicated. As the official narrative went, some fans, obsessed with Murphy's films, deciphered the mystery behind the chant.
Of course, for a director with a professional fan base, getting fans to unravel such a so-called curse was a trivial task.
Without even mobilizing the fan organizations, a technically adept fan managed to view the audio file's visual spectrum, discovering it was a Twitter hashtag. Like the mosaic image in "The Truman Show," where many small photos form a large one, this hashtag revealed an image pixel by pixel, displaying James Franco's character, the Magician, the already-revealed supervillain of "Dark City."
Once fans pieced together this image, a peculiar letter appeared on the website.
This was a secret letter from "City of Chaos" protagonist Jay Rachel to her childhood friend Chris Dane!
The letter was actually written by Murphy. Now released, it subtly hinted at "Dark City" plot details, whetting the fans' appetite without giving away too much.
"Chris, I hope you read this letter. Although I wish to speak with you in person, you've been hiding in your apartment, refusing to see anyone since last time. I've visited several times without success, so I can only talk about the latest situation in New York through this letter."
"Clearly, with the current economic environment, more bankruptcies are occurring. Beneath New York's glamorous surface lies countless undercurrents. Since you thwarted that conspiracy, the security hasn't improved. Though the gangs have been subdued under your deterrence for a while, a person called the Magician has gathered a group of outlaws, wreaking havoc across the city, making New York nights even more chaotic."
"In the past, my faith was firm, but I couldn't see hope for this corrupt, dark city. Your appearance changed everything. Over the past year, every blow you struck against the criminals in the night boosted citizens' confidence, suppressing the gangs' arrogance. Now, the police are helpless against the Magician's gang. I hope you can act again."
"No one can deny that Chris Dane is the beacon of justice in New York's dark nights, the brightest light in this corrupt city. Though your light can't dispel all the darkness, it can inspire and give confidence."
"I clearly remember our conversation before we parted last time. I always hoped for New York to become a city of light and for the kind, pure Chris Dane I remembered to return to this world, so…"
"To achieve this, I also plan to dive deeper into combating New York's crime, aiming to run for the position of District Attorney of New York, to send all those criminals in New York to prison!"
"I want to work with you, Chris. Together, we can restore New York's order, driving away the shadow and darkness looming over the city!"
"Since I can't see you, I left this letter in your apartment's encrypted mailbox. If I'm lucky, I hope you can personally read it."
"Best regards, your dear friend, Jay Rachel."
In essence, this letter informed fans that "Dark City" was in production and would soon be released. The previous protagonist, Jay Rachel, influenced by Chris Dane, planned to join forces with him to combat the rising crime in New York.
Fans reacted enthusiastically, with the letter being widely shared online and generating numerous comments.
"Jay Rachel's role seems substantial. Are they forming a crime-fighting duo with Chris Dane?"
On the surface, this appeared true, but some fans disagreed.
"Considering Murphy's films, how many lead couples actually end up together? Not to mention 'Hard Candy' and 'Gone Girl,' even in 'Man of Steel,' where Superman and Lois Lane were a couple, the latter was heavily darkened. I doubt Jay Rachel and Chris Dane will have a happy ending."
In reality, Murphy planned for Jay Rachel to take a path of no return.
Any publicity had its timeliness. After a while, fans remembered "Dark City" and gradually shifted their attention to other matters.
When early May arrived, a photo of Margot Robbie as Jay Rachel suddenly circulated online.
Unlike the previous reveal of the main villain on the official website, this was the first step in a meticulously crafted viral marketing campaign by Murphy and Carla Faith. This extensive viral marketing plan would span from the film's preparation to its production, post-production, and final promotion!
Margot Robbie's character was the first to appear in this campaign.
After launching the official website, 20th Century Fox created a "campaign site" for Jay Rachel, reflecting the letter's content. Jay Rachel, as introduced in "City of Chaos," was a New York District Attorney, fitting well with her background.
This website featured only one campaign ad, sponsored by a "friend of Jay Rachel," but fans easily deduced that this benefactor was Chris Dane, New York's nightwalker.
Moreover, there was another intriguing website—one supposedly created by the Magician, James Franco's character, for Jay Rachel's campaign. Though it also had a campaign ad, the image was defaced with a large red X. Hidden below this defaced image was another photo.
To view this hidden photo, global fans had to collaborate: first, entering their email and confirmation code on the website, receiving coordinates (x, y) and a URL via email, opening the URL, inputting the coordinates, and clicking Submit to reveal the pixel.
Within a day, the hidden photo was unveiled, revealing James Franco as the Magician. This sparked intense reactions.
Viral marketing wasn't new, and fans quickly realized this was related to "Dark City." However, their curiosity was piqued: what did Jay Rachel do to provoke the villain? It was clear the Magician intended to eliminate her.
In this viral campaign, the Magician had already been revealed as the film's villain. Soon, many websites received a mysterious package from the Magician.
This mysterious package contained two parts: a cylindrical tube wrapped in a New York City map, with two marked attack zones, and a T-shirt with Jay Rachel's portrait and the slogan "Flames Rising."
The message was clear: the villain Magician was targeting Jay Rachel!
To complement this first phase of the viral marketing plan, Murphy also gave an interview, officially discussing "Dark City."
"In this film, Jay Rachel's character is no longer a mere decoration or a simple flower vase. She will undergo an extraordinary transformation and become one of the key figures driving the plot!"
Fans, reading this news, began speculating again. What would Jay Rachel transform into? Would she become a villain?
Fans scoured the internet for clues but found nothing.
Even most of the crew were unaware of Jay Rachel's character arc. Only a few, including Murphy, had seen the complete script. Those who had agreed that Jay Rachel's fate was filled with epic tragedy.
Margot Robbie even told Murphy that this was the darkest and heaviest character she had ever encountered!
Times had changed, and so had the social environment. Thanks to Murphy's efforts over the years, audiences were more receptive to relatively heavy films, especially those branded with Murphy Stanton's signature noir commercial style. They had become mainstream films.
While the film was still in preparation, Murphy did not lower his standards, and neither did anyone else in the crew, especially James Franco.
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