July 2008, New York City, NY, USA
"You've been oddly quiet ever since [The Dark Knight]'s premiere," Scarlett pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Everything okay?"
"Nothing serious, it's just me being stupid," I replied. "Do you...believe in fate?"
She gave me a confused look. "Fate?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Like, everything is pre-destined and you will do what's written for you to do."
She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I hadn't given it much thought, but now that I am, strangely, I believe in fate. Why?"
"I don't," I said bluntly. "Not after..."
"After?" she prodded.
"Forget it," I shook my head. "Maybe I'll tell you someday about it."
Scarlett seemed uncertain about that, but she didn't pursue the matter further.
"Are you sure you don't mind me being in this meeting?" she asked.
I shrugged. "As long as you don't share its content with anyone, sure."
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the meeting room I had booked in the hotel I was staying at, and in walked Benji, closely followed by Evan and Christopher Nolan.
I got up from my seat and walked over to Nolan, engulfing him in a manly hug. "You're a genius, man. You just gave me the biggest opening of my career."
"I could say the same thing to you," Nolan retorted. "I know we wouldn't have received this opening if not for your genius marketing strategy and that fantastic performance of yours. I can't wait to work with you again."
I separated from him. "That's why I have called you here." I motioned toward an empty seat beside mine. I quickly greeted Evan and Benji before taking my seat beside Scarlett.
"I know you are planning a sequel for [The Dark Knight]," I began, "but before you get too deep into that, I had an idea for a Joker origins movie. This could explain to people why he is the way he is. It will be an R-rated movie that can be made for a small budget because it won't be action-heavy, and rather focus on the character. I have not shared this idea with anyone else yet, and I won't unless you give me the blessing to go ahead with it."
Chris frowned slightly, mulling it over.
"Does it have to be R-rated?" Chris asked finally. "Warner won't approve of it."
I shrugged. "Then we won't do it. I know how much it pained you not to make [The Dark Knight] R-rated, but with its budget, it made sense why Warner wouldn't have approved of it. But this film needs violence to make it sink in deep that Joker is not a nice person."
Chris nodded thoughtfully before asking, "Why exactly do you want to make this movie?"
I took in a deep breath before saying, "I read some fan reactions on the internet, and some people were idolizing Joker, as if he were right. I read comments like, 'We need a joker here to kill all the politicians.' I need a movie so that people understand that he's a villain, and he's not good. That his ideology is flawed."
Chris considered it before adding, "And we can add some lore to his background for the third movie of the trilogy, something I can't do freely in a film focused on Batman."
"Exactly," I agreed. "That's why I need you onboard with this, so it is easy to convince Warner Bros."
I looked over at the other people present in the room. Evan seemed intrigued by my idea, Benji was carefully taking notes, as he usually did, while Scarlett was curious about the movie. She was clearly a DC fan from what I could see.
"Even if I loved your idea, I can't direct it," Chris said suddenly. "I have been working on an idea for a while, a big-budget sci-fi film about dreams, and seeing your dedication as an actor, I was thinking if you'd be interested to play the lead role. I have written him with you in mind."
He bent down and picked up the briefcase he had brought along and pulled out a bound script from it before handing it over to me. "Read it and see if you like it. This will be my next film before I begin work on the sequel to [The Dark Knight]."
I was stunned to hear that. I didn't have to be a genius to deduce what script this was. [Inception]. My second favorite Nolan movie.
But there was one problem. The lead character was older, much older than I, with a wife and kids. Without Joker's makeup, I wouldn't be able to play an older character convincingly. But if Nolan was saying that he wrote the character for me, I would give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Do you have any producers attached to it?" I asked.
"Yes," he nodded. "Besides my wife and me, Warner Bros have agree to produce it, but they think that the idea is risky. So they are looking for another producer to lower that risk element. You coming onboard would help alleviate some of that uncertainty."
"Alright," I said confidently with a grin. "I'll co-produce it, and you'll have full creative control."
He seemed stunned to hear that. "Wow, of course. That's great!"
"I'm leaving for London tomorrow," I added. "We'll begin shooting the last [Harry Potter] soon, and the shooting may go for 7-8 months. Would it be okay if we begin shooting for this film after that?"
Nolan looked at me, confused. "Of course, I can defer the shooting till then if I get you as the hero. But don't you need to read it first before investing in it?"
I smiled. "I made you a promise that day that I would say yes to any movie you make. So if you can adjust your schedule for me, I'm doing it. When I read the script, I may make suggestions about my character or the story in general, but I'll still do it even if you disagree with them. As for the production part, prepare a budget and arrange a meeting with my Dad. He handles those things. I just throw money."
"What about the Joker movie?" Chris asked.
I shrugged. "It's just an idea at the moment, not even a full script. That's why I asked you and my brother, Evan, so that together we could put something together."
"I would be honored to work on it," Evan supplied. "[The Dark Knight] was too good."
Chris nodded at him in thanks before turning to me. "Alright then, tell me your idea so we can see if it is worthwhile to do it or not."
With that, I launched into a narration of a heavily tweaked version of Todd Phillips' [Joker].
(Break)
"Man, I still can't believe you hid from me that you were playing Joker," Evan complained for the umpteenth time after taking a bite from the meal we were sharing in the secluded section of the hotel restaurant.
My security team stood at full attention, hoping to deter any overenthusiastic fans from coming over.
"Not my fault that you didn't accept the premiere tickets that were sent to you," I pointed out helpfully.
I had arranged for him to attend the premiere as well. Unlike my parents, who got a call from Dick Parsons to attend the premiere, Evan got an email from Warner about giving away free tickets to their past collaborators. Because he was busy preparing for [Eclipse], he didn't even consider coming here. Only after seeing the film in Canada, where he was doing the pre-production, did he call me.
"That's what I'm saying." He pointed a fork at me. "Had you even hinted or called me personally, saying that you want me to attend it, I would have." He shook his head. "Anyway, Chris seemed to like your idea for the movie."
I nodded as I took a bite myself. "It's a bummer he won't direct it himself." Then I looked up at him. "I kind of suspected that, that's why I asked you to come along for the meeting. As soon as you are done filming [Eclipse], I want you to start working on this script."
"I haven't even begun with that," he pointed out helpfully. "We're set to begin work on that next week."
I nodded. "Yes, I know, but you'll be done in three or four months. After that, you can start working on Joker's script." Then I paused and gave him a meaningful look. "If I like your work on [Eclipse], you can direct [Joker] since Nolan clearly doesn't want to."
He dropped the fork he was holding in his hand. "Are you serious about it?"
I chuckled at his reaction before nodding. "Yeah. I am. I have wanted to work with you in a feature film for a while, ever since you directed me for that short film we made all those years ago. This seems like a perfect opportunity to try it out."
"I... I don't know what to say," he stammered.
"Say yes," I said.
"Of course it's a yes, but... are you sure I can handle it?"
I shrugged. "That's why I said I'd see [Eclipse] first before deciding."
He breathed out heavily before nodding with determination. "I won't let you down."
"Good," I smiled before focusing back on my meal.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before he broke it again. "So you're going back to London tomorrow, that too with Scarlett."
"Uh-huh," I nodded.
He hesitantly looked me in the eye before asking, "You two are quite serious about your relationship."
I put down the cutlery and gave him a grin. "Are you hitting on me or something? You sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend the way you're talking right now."
"Of course I'm n—" He stopped mid-sentence, looking away from me. Then took a deep breath before looking me right in the eye. "I've been wanting to tell you something for a while."
Hearing his tone, I could sense that he had to say something serious. "What is it?"
"I... I'm gay."
I blinked once before leaning forward. "Okay, so what do you have to tell me?"
His jaw opened wide in surprise before he said, "Dude, did you hear what I just said?"
"Yeah, you're gay. I've known that for quite a while. I thought you had something new to tell me."
"You knew!?" he asked. "How...? When...? Why didn't you...?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, it was obvious. When you didn't get another girlfriend ever since you broke up with Nadia, I thought something was suspicious. Then I made a joke last year about you being gay, and you went white as a sheet. To top it all off, you told me something while shooting [Twilight] that was the biggest giveaway."
He silently asked me to elaborate, so I did.
"You said, and I quote, 'Rob looks so hot in this film, he'd cause traffic accidents.'" I grinned at him. "That was so gay. I will never say that about another guy. I could have asked you directly if I wanted to, but I didn't want to rush you into coming out."
After a few moments of tense silence, I asked, "Do Mum and Dad know?"
"Yes," he nodded. "I told them when you were in New Zealand. I was back in London for a month. They were surprisingly very accepting."
I nodded. Of course they were.
Evan spoke again. "So what now?"
"Nothing," I assured him. "It doesn't change anything at all. You were my brother yesterday, and you are today as well. The only difference is that instead of a sister-in-law, you'll get me a brother-in-law."
Then he did something that was another major reason for me not confronting him about it. He started crying.
"Oh God, don't get all sappy on me now," I walked around the table and hugged him.
After a few moments, he whispered, "Thanks, Troy."
"Anytime, bro," I grinned at him before returning to my seat. "So... are you seeing someone?"
Evan took a deep breath before saying, "Not currently, but there is someone..."
I motioned for him to go on.
"In [Eclipse], there is this new character, Riley Bears, for which we were casting, and your old co-star, Jonathan Groff, auditioned for it. He was so good that Tobias and I hired him for the role. I'm planning to ask him out."
"Don't," I shook my head. "Not while you are filming. I don't care about your sexuality, but I do care about you messing around with people you hire. This is how you lose your reputation among the crew, and then rumors start flying. This is your first film. People will already consider you a nepo-baby because of my connection. Don't aggravate that further by adding another reason to gossip about you. Do whatever you want when the filming ends, but not before. I'm saying it for your sake."
He looked away, not meeting my gaze. "But you slept with Rihanna while you were filming [Echoes of You]."
"I shouldn't have," I agreed. "I was stupid. Don't repeat my mistakes."
When he didn't say anything for a few moments, I sighed before adding, "Just in case, if anything happens, get him to sign an agreement saying that no promises were made to him for any role, and your relationship is not a quid pro quo. And also an NDA. Bobby will fix you up with one. I'll tell him to make one for you. If Jonathan declines to sign, get him to call me."
Evan looked uncertain for a moment before nodding slowly.
That was a serious enough conversation for now, so I decided to change the subject. "So, do you have any ideas for [Joker]?"
Evan grinned, all his nervousness evaporating instantly. "I have loads. And by the time I'm done filming [Eclipse], I will have lots more. How about..."
As Evan jumped into sharing his ideas, I couldn't help but grin. His passion for filmmaking was easy to see in the way he was talking about it. I had no doubt that he'd make very classy movies with [Eclipse] and [Joker].
(Break)
I sat down at the table that also seated Alfonso, Dad, Eric Roth, the screenwriter, and most of the cast members of [Deathly Hallows], including my two best childhood friends, Jamie and Emma. The latter didn't seem happy with me, and for good reason.
I had declined her offer to date her again, saying that I didn't want to date anyone. Then, immediately afterward, I started a very public relationship with Scarlett. I'd have to clear it out with her before filming officially started.
Thankfully, today was just the table read, so that we could get to know what exactly was in the script. Things like which scenes had been cut from the two movies, and such. I remembered that they had shot both parts of [Harry Potter] back to back to save on costs.
"Shall we begin with the table read?" Dad asked around the room. Seeing the eager nods all around, he continued. "This could be the biggest movie in the history of movies. We aim to cover the entire major plotline from start to end, even if the final movie is a four-hour-long epic."
Wait, what? A four-hour-long epic? What the fuck was Dad talking about?
"Dad," I interrupted before he could continue. "Can we talk privately before we start?"
He didn't sound pleased with the interruption, but nodded nonetheless as I pulled him aside.
"I thought we were dividing the movie into two parts?" I asked as soon as we were out of earshot of others.
Dad sighed. "We were. But then, Warner Bros raised some very valid concerns. Dividing the movie means no award recognition. That's what happened with [Kill Bill]. It was such a fascinating movie, yet it got no awards because it was half a movie each time. Then there are also concerns about whether the audience would like to see such a movie in two parts. Alfonso was also against dividing the movie, and we have to respect his choices as well. Then there is the most important reason."
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Contracts," Dad said with certainty. "All the cast members signed on to do movies up to the seventh one. Including you. If we split this movie into two parts, we will have to renegotiate everyone's contract. That will balloon the costs massively, making the two parts unsustainable. If you really want two movies, you can take a pay cut to do it. I'm sure Warner Bros will agree to two movies then."
I took a deep breath in as I thought about it logically. While I could definitely take a pay cut, as my [Harry Potter] salary was nothing compared to the money I would be making in the stock exchange this year, I didn't want to. Not because of money, but for one major reason. I wanted [Harry Potter] to be over with as soon as it could. I was getting a little tired of this franchise.
Don't get me wrong, I still loved it, but I wanted to get out of it as soon as possible so I can move on with my career. If we made just one movie, we could get it out earlier. I would choose that any day over waiting a year longer.
"No, I'll prefer one movie," I announced. "Let's get back to the table read."
____________________
AN: I wanted to clarify something going forward: Evan's sexuality won't be a major part of the story because he himself has been a minor character for most of the story. I included it because just as Dumbledore was gay in Rowling's head for all those years, Evan was gay in my head as well, and unlike Rowling, I'm not writing for kids, so I can include it openly. It won't have any major impact on the story going forward.