Duke's Cadillac Eldorado from 1972 arrive at the driveway of the Owlwood Estate after crossing the gates.
Duke stepped out of the vehicle, stretching his legs, specially his right leg, which had recovered a lot, as long as he didn't do any crazy weights or exercises, then he would not have any problems.
A wave of calmness washed over him.
He loved the quiet peace of his Los Angeles home. Tokyo and London were exciting, but nothing compared to the comfort of his own place.
'I should buy myself a good home in London if i plan to keep going back.'
He reached into the backseat and grabbed a colorful gift bag.
Inside rested a few carefully chosen souvenirs from Japan.
He had picked out some unique toys for his son and a silk scarf for Margaux.
As he approached the front door, he saw Margaux standing in the entry, balancing an 8 month-old Bradley, on her hip.
Bradley was dressed in a tiny onesie decorated with a blue shark, Duke decided to take some pictures of him later.
Duke slowed his pace, a smile on his face.
Bradley recognized him instanly.
The baby pumped his little arms in the air and let out a joyous sound.
Duke closed the distance and reached out, lifting Bradley from Margaux's grasp. He held the boy up high, staring at him for a moment, dark brown hair growing in a fuzz on his head, and blue eyes.
Bradley reached down and grabbed Duke's nose with surprising strength. The baby then released his grip and patted his father's cheek with a wet hand.
"He's gotten so big," Duke said out loud, mostly to himself. He estimaded Bradley to be around 22 pounds or 10 kg already.
Margaux leaned in and gave Duke a behind the back hug.
They walked together into the living room, where Duke lowered Bradley onto a rug scattered with colorful wooden blocks and stuffed animals.
Bradley could sit up on his own now, holding his posture for a moment, where he snatched a wooden block and shoved the corner of it into his mouth.
"He is still putting everything he touches into his mouth," Duke observed. He knelt on the rug and gently pried the wooden block away from his son.
"He is teething," Margaux explained, taking a seat on a white sofa. "Everything goes straight in there to soothe the gums. The nanny says its normal for his age."
Duke nodded, reaching into his gift bag. He pulled out a small plush toy, it was a tanuki, a sort of japanese racoon purchased from a market in Tokyo.
He handed the fluffy creature to Bradley.
The baby stared at the new toy for a curious moment. Then, in typical fashion, stuffed one of the tanuki's ears into his mouth and chewed.
Duke settled down onto the rug, crossing his legs to sit comfortably with his son.
He decided to play a classic game of peek-a-boo.
He brought his hands up, covering his face from Bradley's view.
He waited a beat, then threw his hands open. He revealed his face with an exaggerated look of surprise.
Bradley erupted into giggles.
Bradley tried to imitate his father's movements. He brought his tiny hands up toward his own face, attempting to cover his eyes.
Instead, he just ended up repeatedly patting his own chubby cheeks in a clumsy manner.
Margaux watched the playful scene unfold from the sofa.
"You missed a lot of little moments while you were gone," she said quietly, taking a sip of a Mango Lassi. "He started sitting up without any support just last week."
Duke looked up, "Fantastic. He is growing up so fast."
"He is also trying his best to crawl," Margaux added, "He gets up on his hands and knees, rocks back and forth to build momentum, and then just faceplants into the rug."
Speaking of which, Duke had covered the high quality wooden floors of the house for a sort of ugly rug just to avoid Bradley falling directly on hard floor.
Duke laughed, picturing the funny effort as he ruffled Bradley's soft hair.
Later that night, the estate grew quiet.
Bradley was fast asleep in his nursery, dreaming baby dreams.
Duke and Margaux took the opportunity to sit together out on the back patio.
They relaxed in comfortable chairs, Duke was tired, barely keeping his eyes open, not closing an eye since the plane arrived.
Margaux asked him about the details of his trip. She always enjoyed hearing about japan, and other countries.
Duke told her all about his time in London, sitting down with Bill Shankly.
He explained the intricate financial details of English football clubs.
He had even considered, buying a Premier league team on his name, but giving Margaux a team that could be handled by a trust.
After all, they weren't married, so she was her own person.
She shifted the topic to something a bit closer to home. "And what about acting work? Any good news on that front?"
Duke nodded, a smile touching his lips. "I got a role for you. Its a small one, but I have a very strong feeling about it."
"Its an underdog story called Rocky. You will be playing a character named Adrian. She is a shy, introverted pet store worker."
Duke continued, explaining the nuances of the part. "The emotional weight of the character matters, its a crucial anchor for the narrative."
Margaux raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused. "Adrian? That sounds like a man's name to me."
Duke laughed, enjoying her reaction. "Its a unisex name in this specific case. She is the love interest for the main character."
Margaux accepted the explanation with a nod. "What is the overall budget for the production?"
"Very small," Duke admitted, seeing the charm in the scrappy production. "A million dollars. A guy named Sylvester Stallone wrote the script and he is starring in it, too."
Margaux's expression flickered for a brief second.
A tiny hint of disappointment that she tried her best to hide behind a smile. She took a slow breath before speaking again.
"And what about my sister, Mariel?" Margaux asked carefully. "Was there anything available for her in the upcoming projects?"
Duke hesitated for a moment, "I spoke to the casting director of our new horror project, Carrie."
"They could use her as a background extra in a few scenes," Duke explained softly. "She would play one of the high school students... It's difficult to find roles for a 14 year old."
He didnt mention how he didnt truly want to support Mariel too much since rumours spread on Hollywood too fast, and Duke was still a single guy. He didnt want weird rumours about his life.
Margaux's supportive smile tightened around the edges. "A background extra. I see."
"Its a solid start, Margaux," Duke said gently, reaching out to cover her hand with his own. "She's still very young. She needs to build up her on-set experience from the ground level."
"This opportunity gets her onto a professional union set," he reasoned, rubbing her hand. "She will be part of a Paramount film, surrounded by seasoned veterans. Its certainly not nothing."
Margaux did not argue the point. She understood the harsh realities of Hollywood.
She nodded in agreement, though her eyes remained distant.
She wanted so much more for her younger sister. She wanted Mariel to have a starring role, a breakout moment to shine.
But Margaux also knew better than to push him too hard on studio casting decisions.
Later that night, after Margaux had retreated upstairs to the bedroom, Duke walked down the hall to his private home office.
He walked over to a crystal decanter on a side table and poured himself a modest glass of scotch.
He sat down behind his desk and picked up the telephone.
He dialed the direct line to the Paramount accounting department.
Even at this late hour, a dedicated team was already crunching the latest theater receipts.
A tired but polite accountant answered the call on the second ring.
Duke skipped the pleasantries and immediately asked for the latest, up-to-the-minute box office numbers for Jaws.
The accountant read the figures aloud, nine weeks after its initial release, Jaws had officially crossed the 100 million dollar domestic gross threshold.
Duke let out a low whistle. He set the telephone receiver and swirled his glass.
He closed his eyes and imagined Barry Diller's face at this exact moment.
He pictured the stunned disbelief of the studio executive. Diller had questioned his marketing budget, and the lack of event films in the past 2 years.
Well Jaws, was bound to dominate the screens for the remainder months.
___
The following morning, Duke was drove to the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood.
Duke walked through the lot, offering friendly nods and quick waves to various crew members. He bypassed his luxurious main office entirely, deciding to take a detour toward a different part of the lot.
Straight to the animation building.
Duke navigated the narrow aisles until he found Milt Kahl in his office.
Kahl was currently hunched over his desk, reviewing the final storyboards for the closing scenes of Beauty and the Beast.
"Good morning, Milt," Duke said, stepping into the office. "How is the film coming along?"
Kahl looked up from his work, offering a tired smile. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We are finally entering the final stretch... Any reason for the visit?"
Duke took a seat in the comfortable guest chair across from the desk. "That is fantastic, well i just came to talk. And what about you? How are you holding up through all of this?"
Kahl let out a breath and set his favorite drafting pencil down on the desk.
He looked at his hands, watching a faint tremor every couple of minutes. "My hands are just not what they used to be."
"I told you when we started this project, Duke," Kahl continued. "This one is my last dance. I am officially retiring after this. But I am immensely proud of the work we have done here. Its the right note to end a career on."
Duke nodded slowly, feeling a deep respect for the legendary artist. In his past life, you would have people like Spielberg or Scorsese, in their 70s-80s still working.
Of course, their movies kind of lost their edge with age.
"You have more than earned your rest, Milt. Your artistic legacy is etched into every single frame of this movie."
Kahl chuckled, "You are a flatterer, Duke. But I appreciate the sentiment."
Duke leaned back, and decided to go for his true objective. "I have been thinking a lot about our future slate."
"We currently have The Little Mermaid in the early stages of pre-production, and we are developing concepts for Rapunzel too."
"Those are all wonderful fairy tales," Duke said, "But I want to build a project that puts us on the map as the most ambitious animation house."
Kahl raised an eyebrow, "Alright, you have my attention. What exactly do you have in mind?"
Duke paused, "I want to do a full-length, animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Not one, but 2 films,"
Kahl stared at him, frozen in place. "That... sound like a massive undertaking,"
"The scale of the world-building, the complex battle sequences, the countless strange creatures," Kahl listed off, shaking his head.
"That kind of film would take several years to draw, and it would cost a fortune."
"I know all of the risks," Duke said, his voice filled with confidence. "But we already own the cinematic rights."
In his past life, he used to watch The Lord of the Rings 1978 low budget animated film a lot.
Not the most beautiful film, nor the most spectacular film, but still a film made with love.
Of course, the reaction from fans to the 1978 film was hostile. With both critics and fans hating it.
Tht didn't change the fact that despute being so bad, it made 30 million in domestic gross with almost no advertisements.
"Then I am very glad I will still be around to see this adventure start. Even if I won't be the one drawing the pictures."
Duke grasped the older man's hand and shook it firmly, "Your influence will guide the project, Milt. You won't be forgotten in this studio."
___
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