Although Batman had not officially entered the preparation phase, some preliminary work had already begun.
After the Batman project was formally announced, several actors began showing interest. Even Tom Cruise, despite having no free schedule, came forward to ask whether he could possibly play Batman.
Perhaps the most eager of them all was George Clooney. Ever since the failure of the 1997 version of Batman, Clooney had nearly fallen from his position among Hollywood's top stars.
Fortunately, he managed to hold onto Steven Soderbergh's coattails and, with films like Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, regained the public's attention.
To win another chance to play Batman, Clooney personally called Gilbert, speaking with utmost sincerity.
However, Gilbert only promised him an audition opportunity and did not agree to anything more.
In truth, Gilbert had already decided on Christian Bale for the role. Christopher Nolan had also spoken with Gilbert about it, and Bale himself was quite interested in the project.
Still, Gilbert chose to proceed with auditions, mainly to see what new talented actors had emerged in Hollywood lately.
When the final audition list was presented, it contained many familiar names—Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Chris Evans, and Cillian Murphy.
These were all promising young actors in Hollywood—talented but not yet overly expensive. Landing the role of Batman and working with Gilbert would instantly propel any of them to stardom.
The auditions would begin only after Gilbert's vacation, once he returned to Los Angeles.
Summer is never short on entertainment news. The buzz surrounding the Batman project lasted less than a week before being overtaken by the flood of summer blockbusters.
Just as The Day After Tomorrow had dominated headlines for barely a week, on June 4th, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban made its grand premiere.
This long-awaited film for fans of the young wizard opened simultaneously in eighty-eight countries, with a spectacular premiere held in the United Kingdom.
As one of the film's producers, Gilbert was expected to attend the event, but the franchise already had a strong reputation and an enormous fan base.
Moreover, the tabloids had recently been stirring up rumors about Gilbert's "relationship" with Emma Watson, attempting to portray him like a figure from the notorious "Eagle County incident."
To avoid further gossip, Gilbert chose not to attend the premiere.
In reality, he had done nothing wrong. It was Emma Watson who had taken the initiative, and Gilbert had rejected her advances. Up to that point, the young actress hadn't even kissed him—the two were entirely innocent.
Ironically, many others in Hollywood truly had done worse, but the media never reported those cases.
From these rumor-driven reports, it was clear that certain people had begun to dislike Gilbert.
Perhaps they viewed his unorthodox actions as rebellious and therefore withdrew the informal media protection he once enjoyed.
Still, Gilbert had no real scandals for them to exploit. He wasn't Michael Jackson or anyone infamous—the gossip rags could fabricate stories, but they couldn't truly harm him.
Although Gilbert stayed away from the U.K., the British press did not forget about him.
During red carpet interviews at the premiere, Emma Watson openly stated that she "deeply admired and adored Director Gilbert."
She expressed her gratitude toward him for choosing her to play Hermione and promised to work hard to live up to his expectations.
Haley's comments were even more exaggerated. He recounted his working history with Gilbert since The Sixth Sense, making Emma Watson seem comparatively less enthusiastic.
That alone showed how thoughtful and calculating the young girl could be.
To impress Gilbert, she deliberately stayed away from Hollywood's bad habits—such as marijuana use and wild party culture.
Emma Watson refused all that, choosing instead to maintain a pure and elegant image, as if to show Gilbert she was obedient and well-behaved.
Whether Gilbert noticed her efforts or not, her clean lifestyle stood out as a breath of fresh air in Hollywood.
Even Haley changed girlfriends like clothes, yet Emma Watson managed to remain spotless in an industry full of temptation—a truly remarkable feat.
Unknowingly, her personal reputation and public image rose significantly, attracting numerous brand endorsements.
When Gilbert heard about this, he simply commented:
"If a girl stays pure, it might mean she has good morals and upbringing.
But if that girl lives in Hollywood—then she must have an ulterior motive."
And as for what that motive was—well, those who understood, understood.
The premiere was a great success. Yet Gilbert's attention wasn't focused on the three young leads, but rather on Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black.
Gary Oldman had often portrayed unhinged or villainous characters in the past. This time, playing a righteous figure in The Prisoner of Azkaban, his performance was surprisingly effective.
Perhaps after playing Sirius, Oldman felt it was time to "redeem" his screen image. During interviews, he even said he hoped to play more heroic roles in the future.
What he didn't know was that he had already caught Gilbert's attention.
In the previous timeline, Christopher Nolan had originally considered Gary Oldman for the role of Henri Ducard, while Liam Neeson was to play Commissioner Gordon.
However, after reading the script, Oldman admitted he was tired of playing villains, while Neeson confessed he was tired of always playing the good guy.
Coincidentally, Nolan simply swapped their roles—and magic happened. Both actors connected perfectly with their new characters, delivering outstanding performances.
Gilbert, however, had no such dilemma. He directly sent an invitation to Gary Oldman's agent, who immediately passed the message to Oldman.
After the premiere, Oldman received word that Gilbert wanted to collaborate with him.
Despite his famously eccentric personality, the "Hollywood oddball" did not hesitate this time. Without even seeing the script, he immediately accepted.
As Oldman put it,
"If I miss the chance to work with Gilbert, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Meanwhile, Liam Neeson had just finished filming Kingdom of Heaven and happened to be free. Gilbert personally flew to his home to show him the script.
Once Neeson finished reading, Gilbert promptly took the script back.
"Sorry, Liam. There's only one copy. For confidentiality, I can't leave it with you."
Neeson smiled bitterly.
"Gilbert, at least let me study the character of Henri Ducard a bit!"
Gilbert laughed.
"Don't worry, Liam. Once the production officially starts, you'll have plenty of time to study him. But be ready—you'll need a bit of action training."
Liam Neeson immediately replied, "Of course, I'm always ready."
In the previous timeline, the Nolan version was often criticized for its poor action sequences. In fact, Nolan had used a combat style known as Keysi Fighting Method.
This style was not particularly pleasing to watch, though it was highly practical in real combat.
However, Gilbert had no plans to use that method—his reason was simple: it didn't look good on screen.
He told action director Luca Farias, "We need a fighting style that combines real combat efficiency with visual power and aesthetic strength for the film's action scenes."
Following Gilbert's requirements, Luca Farias began visiting martial arts experts and masters. He studied Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, Jeet Kune Do, and other fighting techniques.
Then, together with his stunt coordination team, he repeatedly discussed and practiced with these martial arts professionals. Eventually, they developed a new combat system that was both realistic and visually stunning.
Because it integrated elements from many styles—such as Jujitsu and Capoeira—they decided to name the system Luca Mixed Martial Arts.
Once the routines were finalized, the next step was training the actors.
Before the official actor training, however, Luca Farias's first task was to train the lead actors' stunt doubles. Although some scenes would require the main actors themselves, high-risk action shots still had to be handled by professionals.
Returning to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, based on the strong fanbase of the first two installments, the film grossed $93.673 million in its opening weekend.
Although it didn't break the $100 million mark, that figure was enough to make The Prisoner of Azkaban the new box office champion in North America.
Its overseas performance was even more impressive, pulling in $182.406 million, bringing the global total to $276.079 million.
With Gilbert overseeing production, the series didn't suffer from the same creative slump that occurred in the previous timeline's third film. Instead, it maintained excellent sequel quality and strong word-of-mouth.
At this pace, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban could very well become the double champion of both North American and global box offices for the year.
But the race was far from over—bigger competitors were on the horizon.
On June 11, Fox released the live-action film Garfield. This small-budget comedy earned $21.772 million in its opening weekend, not enough to threaten The Prisoner of Azkaban.
The film held the top spot for two consecutive weeks, with its North American box office climbing to $165.338 million and global totals reaching $453.602 million—an impressive performance.
Judging by the box office momentum and solid audience reception, the film demonstrated remarkable staying power.
The only film capable of challenging The Prisoner of Azkaban was Spider-Man 2, which was scheduled for release on June 30. The two blockbusters would effectively bookend the month.
Between them, several other films were also set to premiere—Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, The Notebook, and Fahrenheit 9/11.
Among these, Fahrenheit 9/11 was particularly unique—it was a documentary, and its subject matter was highly sensitive.
By the time Garfield hit theaters, Gilbert's The False had already been showing for six weeks in both North American and international markets. Its North American box office stood at $272 million, while its global total reached $661 million.
For an original crime-themed film, these box office results were already outstanding.
However, it also meant that the movie had essentially bowed out of the competition for the year's top-grossing film.
That wasn't surprising. If Gilbert's The False had somehow earned $400–500 million in North America and over a billion globally, then something would have been wrong with the world itself.
It was precisely because the box office numbers remained realistic and believable that everything felt so authentic to Gilbert—real enough to assure him that this world and its film industry truly existed.