Because his new film wouldn't begin preparations until July, Duke had relatively ample time after returning to Los Angeles from China. Although The Avengers was still showing in theaters, Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. couldn't wait to once again join forces and host a grand celebration party.
Many well-known figures were invited to the party. In addition to Duke and the "Avengers" who had rushed back from various places, the retired George Lucas and the recently resurfaced James Cameron also appeared in the banquet hall where the party was held.
"Duke."
"Hello, George."
After hugging George Lucas, Duke gestured to a nearby chair and said, "I heard you went on a world tour recently?"
"Yes, it's been a long time since I felt so relaxed."
George Lucas was a smart man. Since he had chosen to withdraw from Lucasfilm, in order not to interfere with Duke and Kathleen Kennedy's restructuring of the company, he simply left North America.
"Interested in serving as a special consultant for the new Star Wars?"
After only a few sentences, Duke steered the conversation toward the already scheduled preparations for Star Wars: Episode VII. "Maybe you could offer some advice."
"I'd better not," George Lucas shook his head. "Duke, I really do want to retire from commercial production."
"All right, then."
Duke didn't insist—his words were mostly polite courtesy. George Lucas was skilled at building backgrounds and worldviews but poor at handling details, something already evident throughout the Star Wars saga. Over the past thirty years, Star Wars had established a complete worldview in the hearts of fans. For the sequels to continue their success, detailed refinements were essential—precisely where Lucas was weakest.
After chatting with George Lucas for a short while, many people came over, gathered around, and started discussing some hot topics within the film circle.
"How's the sequel coming along?" Duke turned to James Cameron. "Any thoughts?"
Although not exactly friends, the two had become familiar after collaborating on two blockbuster productions. Cameron even cracked a rare joke. "I hope you're ready with a very large check."
James Cameron had always cared most about technology and funding—something Duke knew perfectly well.
"I don't think anyone at Warner Bros. or 20th Century Fox will object," Duke replied—and he himself wouldn't either.
With the tremendous success of Avatar, the sequel's production budget would undoubtedly rise. However, correspondingly, the later marketing expenses would be greatly reduced, and those savings could easily be categorized under production costs.
Recently, many people and companies had reached out to James Cameron, all with the same intention: to join the Avatar sequel project once they secured Cameron's agreement, hoping to grab a share of the profits.
However, the former truck driver paid them no attention. Who could guarantee that new investors wouldn't become a hindrance later on?
According to the plan, Avatar would be followed by four sequels filmed consecutively. Back when the original movie was in theaters, in order to draw public attention, Cameron had confidently promised the media and fans that Avatar 2 would definitely be released in 2013.
Yet as of now, not only was there no film—he hadn't even finished the script. The sequel to Avatar was inevitably going to be delayed.
Of course, insiders all knew that many top directors' words on such matters couldn't be taken seriously—most of it was for publicity.
There's a saying on the other side of the Pacific: "A man is nothing without credibility." But in Hollywood, many famous directors have repeatedly "gone back on their word" and still thrived in the industry—so this saying doesn't necessarily apply there. What matters is who says it.
Michael Bay, for instance, declared before filming Transformers 3 that he would "never direct another Transformers movie." Yet before anyone knew it, Transformers 4 was already in production—with Bay still in the director's chair. This time, though, he claimed, "This really is my last Transformers film."
Whether anyone else believed him or not, he certainly did.
The benefits of this approach are obvious—it grabs attention while putting pressure on producers, allowing him to negotiate a better paycheck.
Another director whose waistline was expanding fast, Luc Besson, had announced to the world ages ago: "I'll only make ten films in my life."
After finishing his ninth, he went on to direct the Arthur and the Minimoys animated trilogy, and then… well, his "tenth" film had already been followed by several more.
Let's just say, the saying "breaking your word makes you fat" certainly came true in Luc Besson's case.
Another director who once vowed to retire after ten films was Quentin Tarantino. It's said that Django Unchained has already been completed, and the next project, The Hateful Eight, already has a script outline—counted as his eighth film.
The problem is, the number of films under Tarantino's name as director already exceeds ten. Of course, if Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are considered a single movie, and if we exclude co-directed projects like Grindhouse with Robert Rodriguez, then technically, Tarantino hasn't broken his word.
It's also worth noting that in recent years, Tarantino has clearly gained weight—quite a lot, in fact.
Another example of someone who says "no" but whose body says "yes" is Ridley Scott. Unlike the others, the old master didn't say he'd stop directing, but rather: "If there's an alien in Prometheus, I'll shoot myself."
Duke had recently attended an internal preview screening at 20th Century Fox. In this version of Prometheus, the lead female role was played by Charlize Theron—but sure enough, an Alien still made a flashy cameo appearance.
As for Ridley Scott, not only did he not shoot himself, he was already preparing to adapt Exodus from the Bible for the big screen.
Besides these directors torn between "to do or not to do," there's also a group of "chronic procrastinators" who love to test their fans' patience again and again—treating production deadlines as meaningless suggestions. The most notorious of these is, of course, the "King of the World" himself—James Cameron.
The release date for the Avatar sequel had shifted from 2013 to 2014, then again to 2016. And by the time the party ended, Cameron approached Duke to say that the earliest possible release would be 2017—the film still hadn't even begun shooting.
Originally planned as a four-part saga, only a few days later Cameron met with Duke, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox again—this time proposing to turn it into a trilogy instead. Earlier this year, he had claimed the script was finished; now he was saying it was "almost finished."
If the man sitting across from them hadn't been named James Cameron, Duke, Warner Bros., and Fox would have kicked him to the ground and thrown him into the Pacific Ocean to feed the fish.
But since he was James Cameron—
Duke still couldn't be sure if 2017 would truly be the final release year for Avatar.
Recently, there had been a lot of messy affairs. Just after dealing with "the King of Postponements," James Cameron, Marvel Studios' CEO Kevin Feige and old Stan Lee jointly came to him with an utterly unbelievable proposal.
"Wait a second…"
Even with Duke's composure and firmness, when he heard what they said, he doubted whether he was hallucinating. "Can you repeat that again?"
The reception room of Duke's manor fell silent. Scarlett Johansson, sitting beside Duke, and Tina Fey, who was also attending the meeting, both looked at Kevin Feige and Stan Lee with disbelief, as if they were seeing aliens.
For these two men to make them react that way, what they said must have been truly shocking.
Stan Lee exchanged a glance with Kevin Feige, then said again, "It's said that the new Star Wars sequel has already been put on the agenda by Lucasfilm. Kevin and I have a shared idea — can Star Wars and Marvel exist within the same universe? Someday, the Avengers could fight side by side with the Skywalker family or perhaps Jedi Knights could become members of the Avengers."
Hearing these words, Duke confirmed he wasn't hallucinating, but looking at Stan Lee and Kevin Feige, he couldn't help but sigh at the incredible imagination of these comic creators.
The proposal sounded absurd at first, but after thinking about it, Duke realized it wasn't entirely impossible.
Just like Westerns and musicals, superhero films would also have their day of decline. When that time came, what could they use to attract audiences? A crossover between the Avengers and the Skywalkers might actually be a good idea.
Especially since it could open the door to a whole new range of merchandise. If successful, the profits from merchandise alone would let him — as the actual owner of both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm — earn money without even lifting a finger.
Of course, this could only be a long-term plan. It was still far too early to implement it now.
"How about this, Kevin, Stan," Duke said to the two after thinking it over. "You two come up with a more detailed plan, then go to San Francisco to meet Lucasfilm's CEO, Kathleen Kennedy. Discuss the specific feasibility, and establish an official record for it."
The thought of Jedi wielding lightsabers fighting side by side with Iron Man and Captain America was indeed quite exciting.
Although putting it into practice would be difficult, since both companies shared the same owner, the basic conditions for cooperation already existed. Moreover, Marvel clearly had enough crisis awareness — they understood that superhero films couldn't stay endlessly popular, and rather than being blinded by The Avengers' success, they were already planning for the future.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a good thing.
After sending off Kevin Feige and Stan Lee, Duke asked Tina Fey to call Kathleen Kennedy, then continued to monitor The Avengers' market performance.
...
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