The Normanov agent’s off-road vehicle stopped at the foot of a small mountain. Guided by a local guide sent by the Icelandic governnt, the group slowly made their way along the rugged mountain path. The Vatnajökull glacier region had only one two-lane road. Neither the glacial lagoon and ice fields Duke had scouted earlier nor the mountain peaks now under consideration had suitable roads. If the crew wanted to shoot here, a temporary road would need to be built first.
For just a few scenes, Steadicam equipnt could solve the problem. However, the scenes here not only involved fights but also required constructing a village resembling those in the Himalayan region. Without access for large equipnt, relying solely on manual labor would an the work might not be completed even by this ti next year.
That said, the area’s natural scenery was pristine. Without prior explanation, the shots could easily be mistaken for the Roof of the World.
Compared to the more complex and harsh conditions of the Himalayan region, the Vatnajökull glacier’s environnt was already quite favorable.
Before coming, Duke had already communicated with the Icelandic governnt, so setting up a filming site here was not an issue.
"Hannah..."
Reaching a relatively flat area at the foot of the mountain, Duke called over his art director and pointed to a barren area backed by rugged rocks. "If the village is built here, how difficult would it be?"
Hannah Selina walked over to inspect the area. After surveying it, she replied, "As long as we resolve the road issue, half a month would be sufficient."
Duke nodded and pointed to a slightly higher point on the mountainside. "Find a suitable location there to construct the League of Shadows’ monastery."
"That’s simple." Hannah Selina was confident.
Compared to constructing an entire village from scratch, the League of Shadows’ monastery required only a porch. The interior scenes could be shot in a studio, and the panoramic shots could be done using models.
The model could also be used to film the monastery’s explosion scenes. Such fiery sequences could not be fild in the Vatnajökull glacier area, or the Icelandic governnt and environntal organizations would go berserk.
"This place is indeed excellent," said John Schwartzman, panting as he joined Duke. "Looking ahead, you can see ice peaks, and turning 180 degrees, it feels like you’re at 20,000 feet altitude."
Duke pointed at his protruding belly. "Most importantly, this place can help you lose weight."
"That’s unlikely." John Schwartzman chuckled.
Over the next week, Duke stayed in the Vatnajökull glacier region, exploring better filming locations under the guide’s lead. He continuously exchanged ideas with Hannah Selina on set design and John Schwartzman on on-site shooting. Before leaving, he signed a letter of intent with Icelandic authorities, finalizing plans to film parts of Batman Begins on location in Iceland.
Back in Los Angeles, the crew held their first round of large-scale auditions. For now, Anna Prince handled the process. Duke planned to participate only in the second round for the main roles. His focus remained on other critical aspects of the production, starting with the Batmobile.
The Batmobile wasn’t just a prop. According to the comrcial developnt plan, a limited-edition collectible would later be produced for the market. The production partner, Lamborghini, presented eight versions of concept sketches—all of which Duke rejected.
"Chloe, this isn’t a comic book!"
Standing in the eting room, Duke pointed at the projected designs and told the design team leader, "Though different, all eight versions are too sleek. I want a fierce beast, not a sports car taken to the extre!"
"We’ll co up with new designs as soon as possible," Chloe quickly replied.
Duke reiterated his vision: "My ideal Batmobile is a cross between a Lamborghini and a Humr—a combination of sports car agility and tank-like robustness!"
Typically, prop vehicles are fitted with plastic shells over existing car bodies. But Duke insisted that the Batmobile in the film be genuine, from its wheels and chassis to its body.
As the project was officially greenlit, Duke fully imrsed himself in the work. Unlike the relatively relaxed process of Taken, this film had a massive budget and was key to determining the success of a series. Duke approached Batman Begins with the sa level of dedication he’d shown for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
As a silver screen failure in the 1990s, Batman faced significant challenges in staging a coback. Every detail of the work demanded perfection.
This ticulous attitude was consistent with Duke’s work ethic. He never took anything for granted, knowing that making a film and watching one were worlds apart.
Every step of the preparation was laid out before Duke. He personally reviewed and examined each aspect, from progress updates to individual tasks. As a director overseeing the entire project, he had to understand the preparatory work in detail to ensure smooth shooting.
These tasks couldn’t be delegated to assistants like Tina Fey or Anna Prince. This foundational work was essential for any director aiming to helm a successful film.
During breaks from reviewing preparations, Duke visited the Hughes Aircraft facility in Los Angeles, where he rented two massive hangars. Both the Batcave and the dilapidated Narrows would be constructed there.
The massive hangars offered spacious filming conditions unavailable in conventional studios.
Previous films depicted the Batcave as highly sophisticated. However, the tone of Batman Begins demanded otherwise. Duke envisioned a damp and ssy cave filled with bats, showing Bruce Wayne personally constructing his Batcave.
The planned cave set would asure about 250 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 40 feet high, with 24 water pumps installed. These pumps would circulate 12,000 gallons of water per minute to create waterfalls, streams, and dripping wet walls.
As for the bats, given the limited ability to train them to behave as desired, they would be created using CGI.
While Duke busied himself with the Batman series, another project connected to him was also gearing up. With Duke’s funding in place, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 3 was about to begin pre-production. To prioritize his flagship series, Cruise even turned down Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds.
Of course, Spielberg’s projects never lacked star power; he chose to collaborate with Tom Hanks again.
DreamWorks, struggling financially after separating its animation division, seed to be going all in by investing heavily in two blockbusters: Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and Michael Bay’s The Island.
However, unlike what Duke rembered, War of the Worlds had a new leading man, and The Island replaced its female lead.
"I turned down Michael Bay’s offer to be in your movie," Scarlett told Duke.
At a party hosted by Tom Cruise, Duke accepted the invitation but found himself cornered by Scarlett Johansson.
Lifting his wine glass, Duke clinked glasses with Javier Bardem, who passed by. After nodding briefly, he shifted slightly to avoid the direct glare of a light behind Scarlett. "You’ve already been eliminated, Scarlett."
"Why?" Scarlett took a step forward, glancing cautiously at the uneven grass underfoot. Duke shook his head. "You’re not suitable for the role."
"Really not suitable?" Scarlett’s bright eyes locked onto Duke. "I want to transition to different roles. Can we talk privately? Maybe you can give so advice."
Seemingly afraid Duke might ignore her, Scarlett added, "I’m sorry for so things I’ve done—they were a bit over the line. But Duke, we’ve known each other for over ten years. You understand , and I understand you. Was it really just my fault with you and Ivanka? If you’re prejudiced against because of that and dismiss our ten years of friendship, that’s unfair to ."
"I don’t understand you." Duke turned away.
This wasn’t the place to discuss such matters. Duke walked toward the brightly lit corner of the lawn, and seeing Scarlett following, he added, "Work and personal feelings are unrelated. You’re simply not right for the role."
"But I didn’t even get to audition," Scarlett Johansson said, following closely behind Duke. "Won’t you give even one chance? I practically grew up following you around!"
Hearing this, Duke stopped. Old mories surfaced: the chatty little girl Scarlett used to be...
He sighed, turned to her, and said, "You’re part of my future plans."
Scarlett’s eyes lit up instantly.
Duke continued, "For now, work with Sofia. Next year, I’ll direct Iron Man."
"You want to play Pepper Potts?"
"Pull out the comics and learn about Black Widow." Duke didn’t wait for Scarlett’s response and added decisively, "She’s a crucial mber of the Avengers plan, connecting many team mbers."
Scarlett blinked her bright eyes. "If you need , I’ll never say no."
"You’d better an it!" Duke warned. "My expectations for you aren’t high. Just try not to appear in front of Ivanka."
Her golden hair suddenly fell over her eyes. Scarlett hesitated for a few seconds before carefully asking, "What if... I frequently appear in front of her?"
The question nearly made Duke’s nose flare in anger. He raised a hand and pointed at her.
Scarlett Johansson tucked her hair behind her ears, a hint of fear crossing her face. "Would you hit ?"
"I would!" Duke said sharply.
He knew better than to show Scarlett any leniency.
"Then go ahead and hit ," Scarlett suddenly smiled, taking a small step closer. "You know I’ll never refuse any of your requests."
"My patience is limited!"
Duke glared at her before walking off toward the crowd.
Behind him, Scarlett muttered in a low voice, "You and Ivanka... it’s clearly her dad who’s the real issue..."
...
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