During a promotional break for The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan flew back to Los Angeles to meet with Matthew. They discussed the Flora's Letter project in more detail. According to Nolan's plan, once The Dark Knight Rises premiered, pre-production for Flora's Letter would begin, aiming to start filming in the first half of the following year. He was eager for Matthew to join the project.
Matthew, not one to play coy, directly expressed his excitement about collaborating with Nolan again.
The two talked for three hours, finding themselves kindred spirits.
Nolan shared many of his ideas for the project. He mentioned that he and Jonathan had an uncle who was an engineer involved in manufacturing components for Apollo spacecraft. It was this uncle who inspired the brothers to look beyond Earth and into the vastness of space.
Nolan explained his creative inspiration: "When I was a child, becoming an astronaut was the loftiest dream and ultimate ambition. I miss the relentless drive to explore and push toward the depths of the galaxy. I hope this film can spark a new era of 'expansion outward.'"
As for physicist Kip Thorne, his theories had already influenced Hollywood before, particularly in the 1997 sci-fi film Contact.
Matthew suggested to Nolan that Murphy's character be changed from a boy to a girl. "Having a female ultimately save humanity fits better with the current social climate," he said.
Since Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan had fully embraced the role of a commercial filmmaker. He immediately understood Matthew's reasoning and thanked him for the suggestion.
After their cordial and productive meeting, Nolan left.
Production on Flora's Letter would only officially begin after The Dark Knight Rises premiered. Warner Bros. would then initiate a series of negotiations with Matthew.
Aside from changing Murphy's gender, the script would remain largely unchanged. Matthew also took the time to read Kip Thorne's academic works, as they were the theoretical backbone of the script.
As Nolan put it: "The universe is infinitely vast in its breadth, and the human mind is infinitely deep. We cannot reach the boundaries of the universe, nor can we fully grasp the depths of the human soul. Exploring these is humanity's eternal quest."
The script creatively portrayed abstract concepts like relativity, time travel, wormholes, and five-dimensional space.
Of course, with Matthew's cultural background, he could only grasp the basics of such advanced scientific ideas.
Fortunately, he never intended to become an expert in theoretical physics.
Reflecting on his younger days across the Pacific, Matthew remembered being a boy who gazed at the stars, dreaming of science, only to grow into someone focused on the contents of his hard drive—a self-proclaimed "expert" in human relationships.
Fast forward to today, and he could confidently claim to be an expert among experts in relationships. He had dated countless well-known women. If one were to interpret it through a scientific lens, perhaps time was a line in higher-dimensional space—visible but immutable.
In a way, life had come full circle. He had once been a mere observer of relationships; now, he was an active participant.
As he joked to himself: "This must be the fate of the universe."
Despite his fleeting interest in unattainable women like Gal Gadot and Margot Robbie, Matthew had no intention of altering his approach to life.
He had analyzed himself before and realized that only a life-altering event—something as dramatic as a hammer to the head—could lead him to change.
It wasn't his own idea but one drawn from countless others' experiences: life-and-death moments often provoke profound transformations.
For example, Chris Kyle had mentioned that near-death experiences had shifted him from a fervent patriot to a retiring veteran.
Unfortunately, Matthew doubted such a change would happen to him.
Reflecting on his past, he had already survived two life-threatening situations without altering his core values.
Facing the barrel of a Mexican cartel's gun, he had bravely stood up and outwitted the assailants, emerging victorious.
More recently, he narrowly escaped Eddie Louse's gun and became intrigued by Margot Robbie, standing over him with a blood-stained porcelain teacup—clearly an extraordinary woman.
These experiences brought change, but not to his essence.
Perhaps one more incident could push him over the edge...
As the thought crossed his mind, Matthew dismissed it. Surviving two such ordeals was enough; tempting fate for a third would be reckless.
One brush with death might be luck. A second, a fluke. A third might be his end.
Even worse, according to Kip Thorne's theories, what if death transported him back across the Pacific? If he awoke to find himself lying amidst concrete ruins on a construction site, it would be the ultimate tragedy.
After experiencing all that Hollywood had to offer, how could he return to swinging a sledgehammer?
As one scientist famously said: "All journeys through time and space are ultimately about returning home."
But Matthew admitted his love for money and beauty and had no desire for such a "homecoming journey."
That week, Matthew spent most of his time studying Nolan's script. He also visited Armani to order a new suit for Taylor Swift's celebration party on Sunday night.
To this day, Matthew had not taken on any new endorsement deals. He remained the face of Mercedes-Benz, Armani, and Rolex.
As the top ambassador for Armani and Rolex, Matthew had renegotiated a contract with Rolex at the end of the previous year, raising his fee to $15 million annually, matching Mercedes-Benz.
These three brands alone brought him $40 million annually.
If Matthew wanted, he could have taken on more deals. Companies from across the Pacific—including dairy, car, insurance, and computer brands—had repeatedly approached him.
One computer brand even offered $20 million annually, but Matthew had Helen Herman politely decline.
At his current status, he was selective about endorsements, a common practice for established Hollywood stars.
For instance, after Matthew turned down the computer brand, they approached the wildly popular Taylor Swift, who also declined.
Her manager explained bluntly: "They're just a brand of assembled computers, which doesn't align with Taylor's image."
Apple had also approached Matthew, but negotiations fell apart after his team demanded an exorbitant fee.
Matthew saw no reason to lower his price just because he was a minor Apple shareholder. That would be foolish.
As for dairy brands, he refused to endorse any, regardless of location. The risks were too high.
Plenty of endorsers had been dragged down by dairy ads, with slogans like "I wasn't born strong," which invited endless ridicule.
Midweek, Matthew visited the American Sniper set. Clint Eastwood was still engrossed in post-production, already on his second round of editing. If all went well, the film would be ready by August for its September release.
Initially, Warner Bros. planned a limited release in major cities like New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the Oscars before expanding based on critical reception—a typical awards-season strategy.
Clint Eastwood, with his high standing in the Academy, was a strong contender. His 2005 film Million Dollar Baby had beaten The Aviator to win Best Picture.
However, Matthew rejected this plan. He wasn't interested in chasing Oscars.
Instead, he convinced Warner Bros. to release the film in September, aligning it with the 9/11 anniversary—a time when anti-terrorist sentiment runs high in the U.S.
The film would premiere the weekend after 9/11, capitalizing on public sentiment to support Chris Kyle's portrayal of a sniper eliminating "terrorists."
History had repeatedly shown that a movie's release date could be as critical to its success as its quality.
By the weekend, Matthew had freshened up with a sharp haircut and donned his new suit for Taylor Swift's celebration party.
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