Before the second audition had even started, Duke had already struck Scarlett Johansson out of consideration. During the subsequent auditions, several supporting roles were confirmed early on.
After reviewing the auditions, Duke decided to cast Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Laurence Fishburne as Lucius Fox. Alongside Liam Neeson, already confirmed to play Henri Ducard, most of the key supporting roles were finalized. However, they wouldn't join the production immediately as Charles Roven still needed to negotiate their contracts with their agents.
For the leading roles, after Christian Bale showed strong interest, Duke stopped considering other candidates and decided he would be the actor to play Bruce Wayne.
In fact, during the Iceland shoot, Duke almost vetoed Christian Bale because Bale only agreed to audition on the last day of the invitation period.
Initially, Duke had planned to cast Ben Affleck after receiving no news from Bale by the last day of the invitation. However, Bale managed to catch the last train.
Christian Bale wasn't entirely as people often saw him—only interested in independent films. As a Warner Bros. board member, Duke knew that Bale had auditioned for the role of Robin in the 1990s but was rejected by the production team.
In the end, every actor in Hollywood understands the importance of opportunities.
For the female lead, Duke was more hesitant. Although Katie Holmes auditioned, she wasn't under consideration. Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, and Rachel McAdams all had their strengths and weaknesses.
Duke personally leaned towards Anne Hathaway. Known for her role in The Princess Diaries, she had been in a low point in her career over the past few years. While her audition performance wasn't on par with her later work, it was sufficient for the role of the female lead. Besides, as long as she didn't smile too broadly, she could qualify as a suitable "vase" actress.
Indeed, Hathaway had a relatively robust build—what Duke described as "big and strong"—but this was a classic "all-American girl" look, aligning well with American aesthetic preferences.
His team unanimously recommended Hathaway.
"I think her audition was the best," said Anna Prince in the screening room after watching the audition tapes. "Anne Hathaway has a unique charisma. Her performance conveys a mix of innocence and perseverance, which closely matches the character of Rachel Dawes in the first installment."
Charles Roven nodded in agreement. "I second Anna's opinion."
After a brief consideration, Duke concluded, "Anne Hathaway it is."
As for Catwoman in the future, Hollywood is teeming with actresses who meet the criteria—suitable candidates are plentiful.
Charles Roven worked efficiently, resolving the contractual issues with the cast within ten days. Other actors could begin preparing their roles with relative ease. Meanwhile, Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, and a group of stunt performers were called to Warner Bros. Studios for three months of endurance and combat training under Jimmy Carter.
Preparations were progressing steadily. By August, Duke's attention inevitably shifted toward business matters in Silicon Valley. One of the most significant investments of his life, Google, was about to go public.
Initially, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were in no rush to list the company.
However, the decision to hold an IPO this year was largely driven by regulatory requirements from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to SEC regulations, companies with more than 500 shareholders and assets exceeding $10 million must disclose their business information and financial status within four months of the fiscal year's end.
This rule had previously prompted many U.S. companies to launch IPOs. Google, meeting these criteria—with over 1,000 employees holding stock options and assets far exceeding the threshold—was no exception.
Before the IPO, Page and Brin had made extensive preparations to retain control of the company. In April, Google executed a stock split, issuing a non-voting B-class share for every A-class share with voting rights. This halved the stock price, providing opportunities for small investors while diluting the voting power of major shareholders, thereby safeguarding the founders' control.
Such measures are typical of rational entrepreneurs. No one wants their hard-earned company to fall into someone else's hands. Duke wasn't particularly concerned—he had no interest in running the company. His investment in Google was purely for profit.
On August 19, after just six years since its founding, Google went public in a highly anticipated IPO. Wall Street valued the company at an astonishing $23 billion—a remarkable figure for such a young enterprise.
At the time, Google had an annual revenue of $2.7 billion and a net profit of $286 million.
Unlike most IPOs, Google used an auction method to sell its shares, reducing the associated costs.
According to market trends, an IPO of this scale, aiming to raise nearly $3 billion, would typically incur a 4% marketing fee. However, Google's auction strategy brought the fee down to just 2.8%.
Theoretically, auctions should achieve the highest possible offering price while allowing individual investors access to shares in the primary market.
However, when Google's IPO took place amid weak demand, the company had to scale back the offering and lower the price.
Despite initially setting a price range of $108 to $135 per share, Google ultimately went public at $85 per share, offering just 22.5 million shares and raising only $1.9 billion.
To make matters worse, Google's stock price rose 18% on its first trading day, closing at $100.34 per share. This indicated that the auction had not achieved its intended goal of setting the offering price close to the stock's market value.
Even as an outsider, Duke could see that this was not a successful IPO.
However, for him personally, it was a different story. The auction method provided an opportunity for his funds to acquire a significant portion of the shares, restoring his previously diluted stake to 25%.
If not for the SEC's disclosure requirements, Duke could have secured even more shares. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with the outcome.
Though Google's IPO wasn't entirely successful, it made the company a star in the market and media. By the day's close, Google's market value had risen to $27 billion, creating hundreds of millionaires.
Unquestionably, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Duke were the three most prominent figures in this IPO.
Of course, shares and actual liquid assets are two different things. Stock transactions aren't as straightforward as buying vegetables at a market. Restrictions on public companies often prevent shareholders from selling their shares before the lock-up period ends.
Still, Duke wasn't short on cash. Otherwise, he wouldn't have purchased more Google shares. While Google doesn't distribute dividends, his primary goal was wealth preservation, especially given the rapid depreciation of the U.S. dollar.
With Google's IPO, Duke officially joined the ranks of America's wealthiest individuals.
As Google's stock price continued to rise post-IPO, the value of Duke's shares increased correspondingly.
Afterward, Duke returned to his film preparations. Just reviewing and tweaking the designs for Batman's equipment consumed significant time and energy.
Lamborghini temporarily set up a production line in its factory to handle the primary design and manufacture of the Batmobile.
Unlike the four Batman films from the '80s and '90s, the new trilogy leaned toward realism. Duke chose to omit overly sci-fi equipment. Marvel's success with its films stemmed from their all-ages appeal and somewhat juvenile tone, but the realism of the Batman trilogy was a key factor in its success.
Not every superhero can be depicted realistically. Bruce Wayne's characterization naturally lent itself to this style.
Conversely, Duke planned for Iron Man, the beginning of Marvel's cinematic universe, to adopt a completely different approach. Tony Stark's personality and numerous high-tech gadgets necessitated a less realistic tone, leaning instead toward a simplified, all-ages style—a crucial reason for Marvel's success.
Trying to make Iron Man a realistic film would be as disastrous as turning Batman into a comic relief character.
Immersed in work, time passed quickly. Duke spent all of August and September in busy preparation. Although he met Ivanka once during this period, their relationship did not improve.
Scarlett's involvement merely exposed the latent conflicts between them. Donald Trump was an unavoidable obstacle.
Ivanka insisted on bringing Trump's group into the financing and equity expansion, but Duke, holding 45% of the shares and the corresponding voting rights, disagreed. This made it impossible.
Human greed knows no bounds. Duke had already made enough concessions to Trump in the past and wasn't willing to compromise further.
Fortunately, both Duke and Ivanka were rational individuals, especially Ivanka, who had invested significant funds and effort into the company and wouldn't let personal conflicts affect their work.
Even the deepest love can't withstand the erosion of time. While Duke and Ivanka's relationship hadn't reached a breaking point, it inevitably cooled. Without concessions, it would be difficult for them to move forward together.