By early March, Dunn Pictures had already kicked off five new film projects for the year: Resident Evil, Juno, Signs, Spider-Man 2, and Daredevil.
Resident Evil and Juno were both chugging along smoothly. The producer even said Juno would wrap up in just three days.
Night Shyamalan's Signs had a budget of $75 million. Dunn had personally stepped in to lock down Mel Gibson as the lead and Kathleen Kennedy as the producer.
Spider-Man 2 had a seasoned team and director, with most of the cast carrying over from the first film. Prep was straightforward, and they were set to start shooting in early or mid-April.
As for Daredevil… after a lot of back-and-forth between Christopher Nolan and Dunn Pictures' production team, the budget was capped at $120 million.
Nolan, stubborn as ever, insisted Daredevil wouldn't lean on sponsorships the way Spider-Man 2 did—where half the budget came from product placement. He might be a rookie director, but he stuck to that classic British filmmaker trait: bullheaded conservatism.
Even so, Daredevil's sponsorships were kept in check. They didn't hit the insane $80 million mark like Spider-Man's, but still pulled in a solid $30 million. That meant Dunn Pictures was really only footing $90 million of the bill.
That's a huge perk of Marvel superhero flicks!
Marvel's world is grounded in reality—"Daredevil" and "Spider-Man" both live in New York, so it's easy to slip in ads for stuff like Coca-Cola or Ford cars. It feels natural because those brands are everywhere in the city.
DC's Gotham, though? That's a whole different beast with its own restrictive rules.
As for who'd play Daredevil, Marvel Studios put together a flashy shortlist after tons of debate: Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Heath Ledger, Billy Crudup, Eion Bailey, Cillian Murphy, and Christian Bale.
"Daredevil shouldn't be too young," Dunn said, sitting down with Christopher Nolan as the film's lead producer. "Take Jake Gyllenhaal—he's what, 20 this year?"
Nolan looked a little uneasy. "Yeah… I don't think he's right either."
Nina Jacobson, another producer on the project, chimed in. "I'm the one who put his name on the list."
"Why?" Dunn asked, his tone calm. As president of Marvel Studios, Nina had a lot of sway over Daredevil.
"Jake's dad is director Stephen Gyllenhaal, his mom's a big-shot producer, Naomi Foner, and his sister's actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis is his godmother, and Paul Newman's tight with the family," Nina explained with a helpless shrug.
Nolan frowned. "But he can't carry a role as heavy as Daredevil. His look and age just don't fit."
Dunn waved a hand to cool things down, smiling. "Easy, Chris. The Gyllenhaal family's got some pull—we don't need to shut them down hard. Just show a little courtesy."
Nina nodded. "Exactly. I added him to the list to give him an audition slot—keeps the family happy. Whether he makes it or not, the movie comes first."
Nolan exhaled, starting to get the hang of Hollywood's give-and-take.
He glanced at the list again and spotted another young name—Heath Ledger!
Everyone in Hollywood knew Heath was Dunn's buddy. Just recently, Dunn had made a big show of visiting legend Marlon Brando, and paparazzi snaps showed Charlize Theron, Penélope Cruz, and Heath Ledger tagging along.
Heath was only a year older than Jake, but his vibe didn't match Daredevil's tall, imposing presence either. His name being on the list? Clearly Nina trying to butter up Dunn, the big boss.
Dunn saw right through it too. He pointed at "Heath Ledger" and shook his head. "He's not right. Doesn't even need an audition—just say it's my call."
Nina smiled. "Got it. His acting's amazing, but he's still young—needs room to grow."
Nolan gave her a long look, piecing more of the puzzle together.
Nina was Dunn's handpicked hire, poached straight from Disney and given a top gig. They should've been tight. Yet here she was, still tiptoeing around to prove her loyalty.
Nolan was close with Zack Snyder—they often swapped notes on filmmaking and Hollywood's quirks. Once, Zack had hinted that he'd hooked Dunn up with Resident Evil's star, Milla Jovovich, through his fiancée, Deborah Johnson.
That had rocked Nolan's world a bit.
Zack, being American, got Hollywood in a way Nolan didn't. If he was playing that game, there had to be something to it…
After a quick huddle, the trio narrowed the list. Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, and Joaquin Phoenix got circled for serious auditions, with Cillian Murphy and Eion Bailey as backups.
Dunn had high hopes for Daredevil—not just box office gold, but artistic cred too. Acting chops were key.
Of the top three, Joaquin Phoenix had the best skills right now, and he was Nina's pick.
But Dunn knew Christian Bale had more potential and a bigger ceiling.
Daredevil was a franchise in the making. At 26, Bale had plenty of room to grow, while Joaquin, same age, had already plateaued—no more big breakthroughs left in him.
And here's the kicker: Joaquin was American; Bale was British.
Dunn wasn't sucking up to Nolan, the British director. His lean toward Bale was pure business.
Americans got paid more. Foreigners? They were the hired help!
Take Nolan's own films: in 2010's Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio raked in $59 million between base pay and profit shares. But in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises—a bigger deal after two prior hits—Christian Bale, the best Batman ever, got just $10 million.
That's the gap between American and foreign actors.
In Hollywood, the primo scripts went to American A-listers like Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and George Clooney first. Whatever they passed on trickled down to the rest.
Factoring in cost, market appeal, acting potential, and team harmony, Christian Bale was the slam-dunk choice for Daredevil!
In his past life, Bale was Batman. In this one, he could absolutely nail Daredevil!
"Christian Bale," Dunn said, tapping the name on the list with a serious tone. "Chris, if he does well in auditions—even if he's not quite as good as Joaquin—I'd make an exception. You know I'm building ties with the British film scene. I want to strengthen that."
Nolan nearly teared up. Dunn's words were like a golden ticket!
Or more like Dunn was personally paving the way for Nolan's clout in the UK film world.
No doubt, Christian Bale was a killer actor—he'd starred in a Spielberg movie at 13. But his Hollywood ride had been bumpy, never landing a lead in a big production after all these years.
He'd been a top contender for Titanic's Jack—made sense, since the character was British too. Yet James Cameron went with an American pretty boy, Leonardo, and it crushed him.
Now, if Nolan could get Bale the Daredevil gig, it'd prove his chops in Hollywood. His rep and cred back in the UK would shoot through the roof.
In showbiz, cash matters, but reputation's king!
Dunn was basically handing him a gift.
Nolan knew he had to return the favor. After all this time soaking in Hollywood's ways, he'd leveled up his understanding.
Sometimes, sticking to your guns mattered less than playing the game.
Favors meant opportunities!
Hollywood was packed with the world's top directors. Without a shot, guys like Zack Snyder—or even Nolan himself—were nothing.
And that shot? It came from Dunn.
Nolan let out a breath, his demeanor humble and respectful. "Alright, I'll keep a close eye on him. What about the female lead? Who's right for Elektra?"
Nina shot him a surprised glance. The Brit had finally caught on?
Just days ago, Nolan had dug in his heels over sponsorships, fighting against too much product placement—costing the investors big time.
Now here he was, bending with the wind.
The female lead? Nina didn't even bother guessing. It'd come down to Dunn's say-so.
With all his girlfriends, when resources were tight, he always took care of his own first. That was Dunn Pictures' MO.
Look at their big-budget flicks the past two years—which female lead wasn't one of Dunn's women?
Even Milla Jovovich had to clear that hurdle to snag Resident Evil.