"Christian..."
In the living room of the apartment, a well-dressed agent looked at his client, "It's time to make a decision."
Leaning back in his high-back chair, Christian Bale's right hand gently tapped the table. Next to him were two scripts, one from a cutting-edge director and the other a commercial film.
"Charles Rowen just called me," the agent continued, "The production team can't wait indefinitely."
Christian Bale glanced at both scripts, still undecided.
The first was from a director who could barely be considered second-tier, telling a story about magic. Even from the script alone, you could see a strong personal style.
The second was from one of Hollywood's top-tier directors—Duke Rosenberg—a new Batman film with a very commercial flavor.
Under normal circumstances, he would definitely choose the first one, as it was his preferred genre.
But the situation now was different.
He knew full well what Duke Rosenberg meant, and this script also had a strong personal style, with a dark realism that previous superhero films had never dared to show.
"I still haven't decided," Christian Bale said.
The preparation for both films almost overlapped, and he couldn't possibly take on both. Plus, playing Batman required intense physical training, leaving no energy to consider the other project.
He was calm, but his agent grew more anxious. What agent wouldn't want to have an A-list or super A-list actor under their belt? Who would want to be stuck managing second-rate actors for life?
"Chris!" The agent spoke very seriously, "The person inviting you is Duke Rosenberg!"
"Ten years ago, you had a chance to change your destiny!" The agent stared at him. "You were almost the lead in Titanic! You could have been the next Leonardo DiCaprio! That opportunity slipped away, and we've been waiting all these years, and you're still stuck in the independent film scene! Do you want to be stuck in this messy circle forever?"
He continued, "If your goal is Daniel Day-Lewis, then I have nothing to say."
Christian Bale absolutely didn't want to be that kind of actor. The agent knew this very well, or else they would have already parted ways.
"But the Nolan brothers' script..." Christian Bale hesitated.
The agent no longer danced around the issue. "One is an obscure cutting-edge director, Christopher Nolan, and the other is the mainstream director Duke Rosenberg. Even a fool knows which one to choose!"
He stood up, showing a bit of disappointment on his face. "If you only want to be a small actor, Chris, I won't say anything more."
On one side was the continued struggle in the independent film world, and on the other, possibly endless fame and fortune. What should he choose?
Hollywood wasn't without exceptions like Daniel Day-Lewis. But such actors were few, and although Christian Bale's thinking was unique, he was still within the realm of typical Hollywood actors. How many were really pursuing art?
This place was a dream factory, but also a factory for fame and fortune.
Christian Bale slowly closed his eyes. Many names appeared in his mind: Keanu Reeves, Nicolas Cage, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, etc. These people all took huge steps forward in their careers by collaborating with Duke Rosenberg.
He had been a child star. He had worked with Steven Spielberg and had once tasted the sweetness of fame. It was an addictive and intoxicating feeling.
How many years had it been since he had tasted that feeling? Was he really willing to stay in the independent film world to hone his skills? That was only because the mainstream commercial world had no interest in actors like him, who lacked market appeal!
"Tomorrow, the Batman production team will finalize the candidates for the audition..."
Upon hearing his agent's words, Christian Bale finally made up his mind. Although he had hesitated and been indecisive, choosing between Christopher Nolan and Duke Rosenberg wasn't difficult, was it?
"I'll go for the Bruce Wayne audition."
There were many people in Hollywood who wanted to audition for Batman. This was a society that worshipped success, and Hollywood was a circle that idolized successful people. Countless companies and actors were willing to follow the success of others, even if it meant working on a bad project, rather than spending a second on a creative new project.
As Duke was away from Los Angeles scouting locations, Charles Rowen and Anna Prinz temporarily became the heads of the production team. In just a few days, they had become gods to many agencies and agents in Hollywood. Everyone knew that Duke didn't mind delegating power, especially for smaller roles or even significant supporting characters. They had the final say on these.
A light knock on the door sounded, and Anna Prinz called out, "Come in." A blonde girl, no more than twenty years old, pushed the door open.
She walked up to the desk and greeted casually, "Hey, Anna, long time no see."
Anna Prinz quickly motioned for her to take a seat. "Scarlett, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to sign up for the audition," Scarlett Johansson said without hesitation, casually sitting in the chair and pointing at the ceiling. "My agent is upstairs looking for Charles Rowen."
"You want to audition?" Anna Prinz asked curiously.
"For the female lead!" Scarlett said as if it were obvious. "I think I'm the right fit."
Anna Prinz glanced at her. As Duke's assistant, she knew a few things—apparently, the cold war between Duke and his girlfriend started because of Scarlett.
She didn't want to get involved and directly said, "Scarlett, you know I don't have the final say on roles like this."
"Yeah..." Scarlett nodded. "The decision is up to Duke. I'm just here to check in with you."
She glanced at her watch. "It's almost time. I won't keep you any longer."
"Goodbye, Scarlett."
"Goodbye, Anna."
After leaving Anna's office, Scarlett didn't meet up with her agent but instead sat in the studio lobby and waited for a while. A few minutes later, the sound of a car horn came from outside. She stood up, looked through the window, and then quickly left Duke's studio.
She opened the door of a sky-blue sports car and said, "You're late."
"Traffic," Sofia Coppola replied, starting the car and driving along the road to Beverly Hills. Once they were out of the busy area, she suddenly asked, "What do you want to do, Scarlett?"
Looking at Sofia's furrowed brow, Scarlett couldn't help but say, "Hey, Sofia, we're on the same team!"
"Do you really want to be just a pretty face in Duke's film?" Sofia turned to glance at her, steering the car into a restaurant parking lot. "This is no joke."
"Am I joking?" Scarlett unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Sofia. "I've made my decision. I'm giving up on the art-house style and switching to commercial films."
Sofia Coppola sighed. "Darling, is it worth it?"
"Have you never heard this saying?" Scarlett said seriously. "What you can't get is always the best."
Not to mention the already famous Scarlett Johansson, many well-known actresses and their agents were in the running for the female lead role: Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Rachel McAdams, Katie Holmes, and more. They all knew that just being the female lead in a Duke film would make them the center of attention, even without any remarkable performance.
Moreover, the actors Duke had specifically named—Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Laurence Fishburne—all accepted the audition invitations.
But Duke wasn't participating in the initial auditions. He was still in Iceland scouting locations.
Although Iceland's temperature in July wasn't particularly low, when walking on glaciers and high-altitude areas, thick down jackets were necessary.
The group was investigating Vatnajökull Glacier, located in the southeastern part of Iceland near Höfn, covering an area of 8,300 square kilometers. Not only was it Iceland's largest glacier, but also the largest in Europe, second only to the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland.
Walking on the vast glacier, the sound of the wind howling in the air, occasionally seeing geothermal springs, it was like a virgin land far from human civilization. Nature had sculpted the uneven terrain, offering a stunning visual feast.
"John..." Standing on a raised hill, Duke pointed to the vast glacier and said to his cinematographer, "Make sure to shoot wide-angle close-ups. The scenery here is even better than I imagined."
"Use both overhead and flat shots," John Schwartzman said, looking out at the scenery. "Then mix them together."
"Great idea."
Duke patted John Schwartzman's shoulder and said to the Icelandic government staff, "Let's go check out the mountains on the other side."
It seemed like a plain, but in reality, it was a bowl-shaped plateau. Surrounding Vatnajökull Glacier were numerous towering mountains, with some peaks reaching over 6,000 feet.
Getting in the car, Duke and his team drove toward the distant peaks. Along the way, all that greeted their eyes was a sea of white—the ground was white, and the sky was white. The endless expanse of white was overwhelming, a true wonder of nature.
The glacier, cold, brutal, and primordial, made one feel awe-struck and almost as if they had entered a time tunnel...
This perfectly matched the atmosphere at the beginning of the film!