Hollywood Production

"Your mother called me." On Monday morning, after dropping Scarlett Johansson off at the school gates, Duke gave her some instructions. "She'll come pick you up after school today. Don't wander off, understood?"

The little girl got out of the car and wobbled toward the school. Duke waited until she was through the gates before starting the engine and driving away. By the time he arrived at Duke Studio, his agent, Nancy Josephson, was already waiting in his office.

Lately, Nancy had focused most of her energy on the greenlight negotiations for Saving Private Ryan. After frequent talks with the upper management of several major Hollywood studios, her efforts had gradually yielded preliminary results.

"Both Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox have clear intentions to invest," she said.

Sitting across from Duke, Nancy Josephson gave a brief overview of the situation. "Thanks to their successful collaboration on Independence Day, the two companies are interested in working together again, and they have the utmost confidence in you. The only problem right now is that Walt Disney wants in, too. Just like Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox, they pushed the project into the preliminary review stage right after receiving our script."

"What are Warner and Fox's attitudes on that?" Duke asked.

"The revenue Independence Day can bring in is simply too high." Nancy Josephson offered a wry but happy smile. "Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox don't want to share the profits of Saving Private Ryan with anyone else so easily."

"When will they pass the review stage?"

This was the issue Duke cared about most. "I want to know the approximate timeframe for the greenlight!"