"I've pored over ancient tales,
Those old legends and boundless mysteries,
Like the Avengers they speak of,
Like hired heroes under a full moon's eclipse,
And Iron Man, suited up,
Ready to take flight.
But that's not my fate.
She asked me, 'Where do you want to go?
How many more storms will you weather?'"
Dunn had tweaked the lyrics a bit. He swapped out "Captain America" for "Ghost Rider" and turned "Midnight Sons" into "Hired Heroes." From this second verse alone, you could tell he'd made up his mind.
He was going all in—launching two massive Marvel franchises at once!
Dunn was forging his own path with Marvel, refusing to just copy what came before. One would be the Avengers series—lighthearted, popcorn-flick fun with Spider-Man, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the like. The other? The Hired Heroes series—gritty, dark, epic stuff featuring Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, and more.
The song ran 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Zack Snyder listened to it twice, quietly, then nodded. "It's a shame the other superheroes aren't as well-known as Spider-Man yet—those lyrics would hit even harder. Still, the melody's catchy enough to pull people in."
"Didn't peg you for a music guy," Dunn quipped with a grin.
It wasn't surprising, though. Tons of Hollywood producers and directors were music buffs—Clint Eastwood, J.J. Abrams, you name it. Some could even hold their own at the Grammys.
Zack Snyder tilted his head. "You want me to shoot an MV for this?"
Dunn nodded. "Ghost Rider doesn't start filming until September—plenty of time to kill. Why not use it to whip up a short film? Get some practice with special effects while we're at it."
Zack didn't get it.
Special effects in an MV? Even if there were any, they'd be cheap, five-cent stuff—nothing like a movie.
"Boss, you might not… uh, know how MV production works. It's super basic. Nothing like a film—"
Dunn cut him off with a wave. "No, Zack, you're missing the point! I'm talking about a movie-level MV!"
"Movie-level?" Zack blinked, stunned.
Dunn grinned. "This song's called Something Just Like This, but I've got another name I like better—The Marvel Song. Get what I'm driving at now?"
Zack's eyes lit up. "Wait… you mean use this song to introduce Marvel's superheroes to fans worldwide? Oh, yeah! You and Portman duetting like a power couple—that's gonna blow up! One song, and bam—Ant-Man, Daredevil, Iron Man, Ghost Rider—everyone's gonna know their names!"
Dunn nodded. "Exactly. Marvel's got thousands of heroes, but Spider-Man's the only one anyone cares about. Compared to DC, that's our biggest weakness. We need a way to make these heroes household names people can't stop talking about."
Zack was starting to feel it now, looking at Dunn with something close to awe. "That's the value of a film, right? Using music to boost its worth, draw in more fans for movies like Daredevil, Ant-Man, and Ghost Rider down the line."
Dunn smirked. "Looks like you've nailed the third rule of blockbusters. Now let's see how you handle the fourth."
"The fourth?" Zack's mind raced to the next concept. "Standout effects!"
With special effects popping up in more and more films, you had to deliver jaw-dropping moments to stand out in a sea of CGI blockbusters. Avatar's story was meh, but it raked in $2.8 billion because every single frame was a visual stunner.
Zack still wasn't sold, though. "What kind of standout effects can you even do in an MV?"
He wasn't about to spend hours polishing cutesy shots of Dunn and Natalie flirting, frame by frame, was he?
Dunn shook his head. "Zack, you're still not getting it. This isn't some typical MV short. It's about promoting Marvel's superheroes. In other words, I want you to use this song to shoot a full-on Marvel superhero promo!"
Zack sucked in a sharp breath.
It clicked—like a lightning bolt to the brain!
He was already a movie director. When Dunn first asked him to do an MV, he'd been low-key annoyed—didn't want to backtrack to his old gig. If it weren't for Dunn being the big boss, he might've stormed out.
But now? He saw it. This was a golden opportunity he'd kill for!
A Marvel superhero promo, riding the wave of Dunn Walker and Natalie Portman's duet—it was primed to explode! This MV wasn't about filming them singing—it was about bringing the heroes to life, straight out of the lyrics!
Dunn chuckled. "I've never doubted your directing chops. But Ghost Rider isn't like Saw or Resident Evil—it's got bigger, flashier scenes. This MV's got seven heroes popping in and out. Except for Odin, I want them all to shine."
Zack mulled it over. "That's gonna be tough."
"Spit it out."
"First off, these heroes are all different—different looks, different vibes, different scene transitions. That's gonna cost a lot more."
Zack's face tightened. The priciest MV he'd ever shot was $350,000. With Dunn's sky-high demands and standout effects, he figured each hero's design, framing, and compositing would blow past that—per character!
Dunn spread five fingers. "I'll give you five million."
Zack hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "Still tough."
Dunn shook his head. "Five million's plenty! Spider-Man's got two films done, Daredevil's in production—we can just pull footage from those. No extra cost."
Zack nodded slowly. "Fair. But there's a bigger issue—casting!"
With so many heroes slated for their own movies later, locking in actors now could backfire—might even mean recasting down the road.
Dunn had it all figured out, though, and grinned. "Zack, you're overthinking it. Spider-Man and Daredevil? Done—James Franco and Christian Bale. Ghost Rider's almost locked in—either Gerard Butler or Clive Owen. Ant-Man's pretty much set too—Paul Rudd. He's buddies with my old assistant Reese; they've done movies together, even Friends."
"What about Iron Man? And Thor?"
"Iron Man's easy—he's got the helmet, doesn't even need a face. Thor's a god—just have him hurl some lightning from a distance. A silhouette's enough, no face required."
Zack pursed his lips, clearly unimpressed by Dunn's casual vibe.
Dunn waved a hand. "Zack, I'm handing this to you. You and your wife have tons of MV experience—figure it out. I don't care how; I just want results!"
Zack sank into the couch, thinking it over, then nodded. "Alright, I'll do my best."
Dunn pressed on. "Spider-Man 2 hits theaters May 3rd. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones drops May 16th. I want this MV airing on major U.S. networks by mid-May. It's gotta make waves—pull all the attention to Spider-Man 2!"
"Two and a half months," Zack muttered, doing the math. He took a deep breath. "That's doable!"