By the end of January, after a month-long hiatus due to on-set accidents, G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation was finally able to resume filming in the Burbank Hughes Aircraft hangar studio. The delays were largely due to Hollywood's various guilds.
Each year, Hollywood guilds collect 3% of their members' annual income as dues, and they don't just take money without providing services—they're highly protective of their members' rights. Since he started investing and producing, Matthew had found the guilds especially frustrating, as even minor issues would result in complications for the crew, with each specialized job having its own associated union. For example, even the truck drivers had their own union backing them.
The biggest problem with the guilds was their propensity to organize strikes, and this wasn't something only Matthew had to deal with; all producers dreaded it. Hollywood strikes often became real and disruptive, as seen in the last Writers Guild strike. The WGA had around 12,000 members, but usually only about 1,000 had steady work, while the remaining 10,000, already out of work, would have no reason not to support a strike.
Following the accident, it seemed only the props guild was investigating, but the reality was that multiple unions were pressuring the production team. The crew had to comb through every detail of the production and submit reports to each union, which dragged things out until now. This had cost the production over $10 million in additional expenses.
With filming back on track, Stephen Sommers was pushing to speed up the schedule and keep the film on its timeline.
"Trim out all unnecessary moves," the stunt coordinator instructed Matthew and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on set. "You're the toughest soldiers out there. Every strike you make is lethal, aiming straight for the enemy's vital points. Showcase your strength."
Matthew nodded. "Understood."
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson grinned. "Got it."
After the coordinator reviewed the upcoming action sequence's key points with them, he left them to prepare.
"It's been a few years." Matthew looked at Johnson and said, "Dwayne, you're looking even stronger than before."
They had previously worked together on National Treasure and were familiar with each other.
Dwayne laughed good-naturedly. "What can I say? I play the same type of character in every role, so I have to keep working on my physique."
Leaving off personal talk, Matthew and Dwayne quickly focused on the choreography for the upcoming fight scene.
To Matthew's surprise, the production had replaced the original actor playing Firefly on the Cobra side due to personal issues, and the new actor was none other than Dwayne. Johnson's career hadn't progressed as smoothly as he'd hoped, and he was still a mid-tier star at best.
The cameras soon rolled, and at Stephen Sommers' signal, Matthew and Dwayne sprang into action. Both were prime examples of tough, brawny men, and their fight sequence reflected the movie's signature action style—no fake moves or staged flourishes, only raw displays of power.
Of course, the moves were all choreographed.
The scene culminated with Matthew throwing Dwayne over his shoulder and onto a padded mat. Despite Dwayne's size, Matthew didn't struggle much to pull off the move, thanks to Johnson's cooperation, as well as his own considerable strength.
Over the years, especially after hitting his thirties, Matthew's body had naturally started to decline, but his strength had diminished much more slowly than average.
"Look at how things are going now." Watching from a high platform nearby, Brian Goldner from Hasbro spoke to Lorenzo di Bonaventura from Paramount. "Matthew Horner is still the same powerhouse. With his skills, I'd say he's got another good ten years in him."
Lorenzo nodded in agreement. "Even if he's a 'vampire' in contract negotiations, there's no denying his box office pull."
Brian sighed. "He's making $20 million for this film, plus 20% of global box office revenue. What are we supposed to do for the next sequel?"
Lorenzo fell silent. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra had been a massive success at the box office and with merchandise, and to keep Matthew Horner and his influence on board, Paramount and Hasbro had been forced to increase both his upfront pay and percentage points.
If Retaliation performed well, Matthew alone would walk away with at least a third of the film's profits. Paramount and Hasbro found this both painful and necessary.
"We really should kill off Duke." Brian's statement wasn't just his personal opinion; it was an option Hasbro had seriously considered. "The company's leadership isn't happy about Matthew Horner's high pay."
Lorenzo shook his head. "It's really unnecessary." He elaborated, "Matthew's drawing power is unparalleled. Sure, it looks like we're giving him a massive share of the revenue, but remember, Hollywood has shown over and over that having Matthew Horner makes a huge difference. Just look at Cloud Atlas and John Carter."
Brian remained silent.
"Cloud Atlas may have been a lost cause, but take John Carter compared to The Rise of Cobra. Do you really think the films' quality accounts for such a drastic box office difference?" Lorenzo continued, answering his own question. "It's simply that John Carter had Brad Pitt, while The Rise of Cobra had Matthew Horner."
Brian shook his head. "There are always people at the company who won't accept that."
"Short-sighted," Lorenzo replied dismissively. "They're not thinking about the big picture. Is it better to share profits on a $1 billion film or a $300 million one?"
The math might seem simple, but greed often clouded reason.
The conversation fell silent as another take began on set. Gunfire and explosions filled the air as Matthew and Dwayne went back to their hand-to-hand combat, showcasing the brutal beauty of combat inspired by Gypsy Ketsu martial arts, with each strike seemingly aimed to draw blood.
This fighting style, based on military techniques, was highly practical and focused on efficient moves, with techniques like headbutts and elbow strikes. It suited both Matthew and Dwayne perfectly.
The day's shoot concluded with Matthew and Dwayne exhausted but unharmed. They had performed most of the close-up fight scenes themselves, without using stunt doubles. Each take was under ten seconds, but after dozens of retakes, the physical toll was enormous.
Thankfully, both men were gym warriors through and through; exhausted but uninjured, they finished the day.
As they drove back to Beverly Hills, Brown Williams took over as the driver, shooing away the chauffeur and making it clear he had something confidential to discuss.
"What's up?" Matthew asked, rolling up the window.
Brown waited until they'd crossed an intersection before speaking. "It's about Amber Heard."
Matthew nodded. "Go on."
"My contacts have been discreetly watching her for over a month, and they've observed a few things," Brown said in a low tone. "Amber's work and lifestyle have been normal. She's guest-starring in a TV series in a minor role."
He paused, then added, "But three times in that month, she met with a rather inconspicuous building security guard."
"Did you look into the guard?"
"Yes." Brown nodded. "He was employed by Miramax in the 1990s."
"Miramax?" Matthew frowned. "Miramax in the '90s?"
Drumming his fingers on the seat, he murmured, "This could be interesting."
Brown continued, providing a few more details. They didn't know what Amber and the guard had discussed, so it was hard to determine if anything suspicious was actually going on.
Matthew, however, preferred to err on the side of caution. If Amber Heard was indeed up to something… then perhaps it was time to have a little talk with her.
That evening, he called Amber, and since he had the weekend off, he invited her over to his estate.
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