Watching the clearly unhappy Liv Tyler drive off in her car, Orlando Bloom stepped into the hotel and immediately dialed his Agent, Allen Kershan.
"Allen, it's me." He cut straight to the point. "Any movement on the work front?"
Orlando Bloom knew very well that to climb higher he needed a steady stream of projects; beyond Legolas, he required other roles he could showcase.
Legolas wasn't the lead, nor did he carry the film on his own.
His Agent's voice came through: "Daredevil turned us down—they've locked in Ben Affleck as the lead. Right now the X2: X-Men United Crew—"
"X2: X-Men United?" Orlando cut in. "Didn't I say we can forget that one? I won't play some throwaway supporting part. Allen, I'm not who I was; stop bringing me bit roles."
The line went quiet. Orlando continued, "I've heard that Universal Pictures and Stephen Sommers are prepping a massive project—budget could top 150 million, a definitive lead actor vehicle. Know anything?"
"No." His Agent sounded puzzled. "Where'd you get that?"
Orlando didn't answer. "The source is rock-solid. Can you dig around? See if it's real, what they need in a lead, whether I fit?"
"Universal? Stephen Sommers?" The Agent mulled it over, then said, "All right, I'll make some calls."
Pocketing the phone, Orlando Bloom stood before the hotel's glass wall, gazed at his flawless reflection, and broke into a radiant grin.
Who'd have thought a party would yield such intel from Matthew Horner? If Stephen Sommers let it slip to him, Matthew must have been on the shortlist—probably stalled at Universal over name recognition and box-office pull.
Did Matthew still have a shot? Orlando neither knew nor cared; this was a rare opening for him.
As for any faint friendship with Matthew Horner, what did that count beside a role like this?
Orlando was certain that, were their positions swapped, Matthew would do the same.
That night he dreamed himself the absolute star of a top-tier Hollywood blockbuster—not a supporting elf but the lead. The picture exploded at the box office, critics raved, and it catapulted him to the A-plus summit alongside Tom Cruise.
Perhaps he dreamed too hard; the next morning he overslept until his Agent's call jolted him awake.
"This early?" Orlando fumbled for the phone. "Who is it? What's up?"
"It's me—Allen!" his Agent barked. "Orlando, I confirmed it: Universal is indeed developing a mega-production with Stephen Sommers. Budget isn't 150 million—it's 160!"
"One-hundred-sixty?" Orlando shot upright. "What else? Keep talking!"
"Stephen Sommers has finished the script," Allen went on. "Once the scorpion king opens, Universal will announce—probably to give that film a push."
"What about the lead?" That was Orlando's fixation.
"They want a very cool, very young version," Allen replied, having dug deep. "Orlando, it screams you."
Orlando thought so too. "Agreed." He paused.
Then asked, "Do they have anyone in mind?"
"Stephen leans toward the guy who played the scorpion king in the mummy returns—your buddy from black hawk down," Allen said.
"Matthew Horner?" Orlando rose; that was bad news.
"Universal's not sold," Allen added, calming him. "They think he lacks name value and draw. They want a young actor with solid pull, great looks, and a reasonable asking price."
Orlando's mind raced—wasn't that tailor-made for him? Cool, young, handsome, marketable, stunning… he ticked every box.
"Allen! I want this part!" he blurted. "Allen, you have to land me this role!"
"Orlando, calm down! Listen to me..." The Agent's voice rose through the receiver. "Thanks to the box-office success of the two Mummy films and their confidence in the scorpion king, Universal Pictures is giving Stephen Sommers enormous authority on this project—he'll serve as writer, director and producer. To land the lead, you need his personal approval."
Before Orlando Bloom could speak, the Agent continued, "I don't know Stephen Sommers well enough to put in a word. Aren't you friends with that actor from the scorpion king? Tell him you're coming to next month's premiere—you're bound to meet Stephen Sommers there. Find a way to connect with him. You charm Stephen Sommers, and I'll work other angles. We'll attack from both sides."
"All right," Orlando Bloom said. "I'll call Matthew Horner in a bit; getting into the premiere won't be a problem."
The Agent added over the phone, "Matthew Horner is one of Stephen Sommers's favored choices. Never let him see you're gunning for the same role. Keep buddying up to him and use his connection to Stephen Sommers to get closer to the director. Understand?"
"Don't worry, I know what to do."
After hanging up, Orlando Bloom walked into the bathroom to wash up before calling Matthew.
He'd drunk a lot last night, so Matthew got up late—though not enough to have a hangover. After a quick wash he headed out for a jog. He'd barely left the house when the phone in his track-top pocket rang.
He pulled it out and saw Orlando Bloom's number.
"Hey, Orlando," Matthew answered, deliberately teasing, "Finally crawled out of some beauty's arms this early?"
He couldn't appreciate Liv Tyler himself, but the media universally hailed her as gorgeous.
Just a difference in taste—hard to reconcile.
He'd once thought Nicole Kidman stunning; for a while his smartphone wallpaper had been Nicole Kidman. Many coworkers, though, said her cheekbones were too high, forehead too broad, complexion too pale—like a female ghost...
"Not bad," Orlando Bloom laughed over the line. "If Liv hadn't reminded me, I'd have forgotten—your new film the scorpion king is about to hold its premiere, right? Have the Crew send me an invite."
"Sure!" Matthew was delighted. "I'll call Sean Daniel right away; he'll be thrilled."
Landing a headline-grabbing star for the premiere was something the Crew would never refuse.
Orlando Bloom didn't say more. "Great—I'll wait for your call."
As soon as he hung up, Matthew dialed Sean Daniel. Just as he'd expected, Sean Daniel immediately had someone send a formal VIP invitation to Orlando Bloom's Agency.
Why was Orlando Bloom so eager to attend the scorpion king's premiere? Matthew figured it out after only a few running strides: Stephen Sommers, writer and producer of the scorpion king, would definitely be at the premiere, and Stephen Sommers had already been locked as that project's writer, director and producer—his clout even greater than Sean Daniel's on the scorpion king Crew.
To become the project's lead actor, Stephen Sommers was an unavoidable and crucial gatekeeper.
Of course, Matthew realized he might be overthinking it; maybe Orlando Bloom was simply a good guy showing up to cheer him on.
In the following weeks, besides continuing his British-accent drills and fencing practice, Matthew mostly cooperated with Universal Pictures' publicity push for the scorpion king.
As the release date drew nearer, Universal Pictures launched an intensive campaign.
Posters and stills, trailers with varying content, press releases about cast, filming and behind-the-scenes stories—all appeared nonstop across media platforms. Universal Pictures, one of Hollywood's six majors, has a long history and deep resources; experienced hands timed the rollout perfectly, stoking audience appetite.
As the film's lead actor, Matthew graced several magazine covers—Entertainment Weekly among them—and sat for a string of interviews. These classic Hollywood soft-promo pieces were all orchestrated by Universal Pictures.
Matthew's knowledge of film promotion was limited; he simply followed Universal Pictures' rhythm.
Besides soft ads, Universal Pictures invested heavily in hard advertising: subway, bus and airport ads, plus outdoor posters, popped up in every major U.S. city.
With the publicity drive intensifying, more and more people caught wind of the film's imminent release.