Most people in the lounge had already gone into the screening room. When Jada Smith saw Matthew disappear through the doorway, she pulled back her gaze, grumbling disapprovingly, "Why is he here? Who invited him?"
Will Smith gave her a nudge, reminding her, "Jada!"
"Hmph..." She scoffed, casting a cold glance at the doorway and muttering in a low voice, "I can't stand the sight of Matthew Horner!"
Looking around at the few remaining people in the lounge, Will said, "We should go in, too."
As they walked down the hallway, with no one around, Jada continued, "Spike Lee's been in and out of the hospital twice now."
Will fell silent, as the loss of Spike Lee left the Black community in Hollywood without a prominent voice fighting for freedom and equality.
"No use dwelling on it," Will replied, demonstrating far more practicality than Jada. "Matthew Horner has worked with Warner Bros. for years; it was probably their invitation that brought him here."
Still dissatisfied, Jada muttered under her breath, "Just a bunch of self-serving money-grubbers."
Will frowned, unwilling to argue. After all, businesses based their partnerships on profit, not sentiment.
"Matthew Horner is Warner Bros.' most important star partner right now," he said, unable to hold back.
"He won't be for long!" Jada tightened her grip on Will's arm. "Green Lantern is crucial for Warner Bros. and DC Comics! The Justice League Universe is their primary focus after the Harry Potter series. If Green Lantern succeeds, Warner Bros. will start valuing us just as much as Matthew Horner. With time, we could edge him out."
Will nodded in rare agreement. In Hollywood, any top-tier or A-list star often had a longstanding relationship with a particular studio—Johnny Depp with Disney, Tom Cruise with Paramount, Adam Sandler with Sony-Columbia, and Matt Damon with Universal.
If he could establish a solid, long-term partnership with Warner Bros., his currently declining career could see a resurgence.
Warner Bros. aimed to produce more than just superhero movies, with other major blockbusters in the works. If luck was on his side, he could even follow Christopher Nolan's trajectory.
This could finally give him a shot at joining the ranks of Hollywood's biggest stars.
There was a time when he was just one step away from that threshold, but ever since he lost out to Matthew Horner for the lead in I Am Legend, his career had only gone downhill, barely managing to hold onto his A-list status.
Taking on Green Lantern was, in truth, a compromise he made out of necessity.
Now, it seemed that the superhero movie craze was even more popular than he had optimistically predicted.
As Will entered the screening room, he passed by Matthew, who was chatting and laughing with Leonardo DiCaprio. It was impossible to deny that he felt a twinge of envy. After all, losing the lead role in I Am Legend was widely regarded as the turning point in his career.
But Will was rational and clear-headed, reminding himself repeatedly that this had nothing to do with Spike Lee or any personal grudges; it was simply business.
Besides, with Spike's decline, Black Hollywood needed a figurehead—a Black superstar who could advocate for more opportunities.
Top resources in Hollywood were limited, and if he didn't fight for them, they wouldn't just fall into his lap.
All he needed was for Green Lantern to succeed, and he'd have the leverage to negotiate with Warner Bros.
Meanwhile, Matthew, who noticed Will passing by out of the corner of his eye, continued his conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio, their topics, unsurprisingly, revolving around women—particularly tall, blonde, slender, and beautiful women.
Recently, TMZ had stoked the Hollywood rumor mill, calling Matthew, Leonardo, and George Clooney the town's most eligible bachelors. Young women interviewed on the spot expressed that if any of these three showed interest, they'd follow him home in a heartbeat.
As for Matthew, he'd earned quite the reputation: "Everyone knows that Matthew Horner's skill and charm are unmatched, and countless women have raved about their experience with him."
Leonardo smirked at him, "Your moves are getting a bit dated." He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know what I do? I sneak the girls into my garden, and we'll do it right by the monkey cage. Watching the monkeys imitate us drives the girls wild—they love it and even brag about it afterward."
Matthew shook his head. "Aren't you worried the monkeys might get a little too excited? What if they break out of the cage?"
The image of an overexcited monkey breaking free and pouncing on Leonardo flashed in his mind.
"By the way, Matthew," Leonardo shifted gears, asking in a low voice, "how do you get out of things so cleanly? Why do they all say good things about you?"
Matthew didn't play coy, answering simply, "Because when I go out with them, I make it clear that dating and being in a relationship are two different things."
Going on a date didn't mean they were a couple.
They talked a bit more about women and marriage. Leonardo confessed that he felt destined to be a lifelong bachelor.
That remark reminded Matthew of Leonardo's birthday, a date he'd never forget after attending one of Leonardo's infamous birthday parties long ago.
Leonardo's birthday fell on November 11—a rather ironic twist of fate.
"So, he's truly the 'Lone Star,'" Matthew thought to himself. "Guess I'll be the one left with all the tall, sexy models."
At that moment, the screen lit up, and Matthew turned his focus to Green Lantern, curious to see how this version compared to the storyline he vaguely remembered.
Unlike Batman, who relied on high-tech gear, or the modified heroes in Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Hulk, Green Lantern blended elements from both worlds, with a protagonist who was still very much a regular human.
Hal Jordan, a test pilot, is granted a powerful energy ring from a highly intelligent extraterrestrial, giving him extraordinary abilities and turning him into the "Green Lantern."
His journey of heroics then begins.
The film also introduces a "Green Lantern Corps" tasked with maintaining order across various regions of the universe, with 3,600 sectors in total. Each sector has a Green Lantern as its protector, and in the case of our Solar System, it's Will Smith's Hal Jordan who holds the responsibility of safeguarding Earth.
As an investor in superhero films, Matthew had skimmed through a few superhero comics, most of which were Marvel, with only a handful from DC.
Since Will was cast as Green Lantern, he had also reviewed the mainline comics featuring Hal Jordan.
With a comic spanning over seventy years, selecting the right story elements to adapt for the big screen was critical, especially with a story as vast as Green Lantern.
In the main comic, there have been many Green Lanterns, each with unique backgrounds, personalities, and journeys influenced by their encounter with the Green Lantern. The movie focused on Hal Jordan, who held one of the more prominent roles in the comics.
Each Green Lantern possesses different powers and weaknesses. For instance, Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern, has the ability to fly and phase through objects, but his powers don't work on wood. Hal Jordan's ring can project constructs, but its weakness is yellow objects.
Hal Jordan is often dubbed "the greatest Green Lantern in history" and is one of the founding members of the Justice League.
As he watched, Matthew gradually remembered the film's storyline. By the latter half, when Blake Lively's character recognized Will Smith's Hal Jordan despite only his green mask, he was certain that the main plotlines were nearly identical.
One thing that stood out was the Green Lantern's suit, which, once again, looked glaringly off-putting.
In the past, watching the pirated version, he only vaguely found it awkward, though as a novice back then, he hadn't been able to pinpoint why. Now, he could easily tell: the entire suit was rendered in CGI.
He recalled Warner Bros.' marketing efforts, promising audiences that CGI was used solely because no real fabric could replicate the desired effect. Whether this decision would serve as a draw or a drawback, only time would tell once the movie hit theaters.
"Visually impressive," Leonardo remarked, "but the storyline is weak."
Matthew nodded. The film's budget had clearly been poured into the effects.
Leonardo added, "It's all a light show. The hero and villain both lack presence."
Watching Green Lantern battle a villain that resembled an amorphous blob, Matthew muttered, "Warner Bros. and their Justice League Universe could be in trouble."
Based on past experiences and years of industry insight, he estimated that the film had a much higher chance of flopping than succeeding.
When the screening ended, Matthew and Leonardo went to the front row to offer their congratulations and say a few polite things about how "impressive" the film was.
As for whether it would succeed or fail, that would soon be apparent.
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